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{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does Boris Balkan hire Dean Corso to do?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "Boris", "Balkan", "hire", "Dean", "Corso", "to", "do", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Research three copies of the book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows to find the original copy.", "tokens": [ "Research", "three", "copies", "of", "the", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "to", "find", "the", "original", "copy", "." ] }, { "text": "to locate all three copies of the book, two of which he believes to be forgeries, and to acquire the legitimate book", "tokens": [ "to", "locate", "all", "three", "copies", "of", "the", "book", ",", "two", "of", "which", "he", "believes", "to", "be", "forgeries", ",", "and", "to", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "book" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What special powers can be gained from The Nine Gates?", "tokens": [ "What", "special", "powers", "can", "be", "gained", "from", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Invincibility and immortality.", "tokens": [ "Invincibility", "and", "immortality", "." ] }, { "text": "Invincibility and immortality.", "tokens": [ "Invincibility", "and", "immortality", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", 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"the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who signed the engravings in The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows?", "tokens": [ "Who", "signed", "the", "engravings", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "The Devil.", "tokens": [ "The", "Devil", "." ] }, { "text": "Lucifer", "tokens": [ "Lucifer" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does Corso realize when he compares Balkan's and Fargas' copies of the Ninth Gate?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "Corso", "realize", "when", "he", "compares", "Balkan", "s", "and", "Fargas", "'", "copies", "of", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Each book has three different unique engravings with Lucifer's signature.", "tokens": [ "Each", "book", "has", "three", "different", "unique", "engravings", "with", "Lucifer", "s", "signature", "." ] }, { "text": "The signature, \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings.", "tokens": [ "The", "signature", ",", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What happened to Fargas after Corso visited him?", "tokens": [ "What", "happened", "to", "Fargas", "after", "Corso", "visited", "him", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "He was murdered and the three unique engravings were stolen from his book.", "tokens": [ "He", "was", "murdered", "and", "the", "three", "unique", "engravings", "were", "stolen", "from", "his", "book", "." ] }, { "text": "he is murdered", "tokens": [ "he", "is", "murdered" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is Liana Teifer?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "Liana", "Teifer", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Her husband was the previous owner of the book in Balkan's possession.", "tokens": [ "Her", "husband", "was", "the", "previous", "owner", "of", "the", "book", "in", "Balkan", "s", "possession", "." ] }, { "text": "Telfer's widow", "tokens": [ "Telfer", "s", "widow" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Where is Balkan planning on completing the final ritual using the engravings?", "tokens": [ "Where", "is", "Balkan", "planning", "on", "completing", "the", "final", "ritual", "using", "the", "engravings", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "In a remote castle.", "tokens": [ "In", "a", "remote", "castle", "." ] }, { "text": "A remote castle.", "tokens": [ "A", "remote", "castle", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", 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"the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Why does Balkan fail at completing the final ritual?", "tokens": [ "Why", "does", "Balkan", "fail", "at", "completing", "the", "final", "ritual", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "One of the engraving was a forgery.", "tokens": [ "One", "of", "the", "engraving", "was", "a", "forgery", "." ] }, { "text": "The ninth engraving is a forgery.", "tokens": [ "The", "ninth", "engraving", "is", "a", "forgery", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does Corso discover when he sees the authentic ninth engraving?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "Corso", "discover", "when", "he", "sees", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "The woman who has been helping him is really the devil.", "tokens": [ "The", "woman", "who", "has", "been", "helping", "him", "is", "really", "the", "devil", "." ] }, { "text": "A likeness of, \"The Girl\"", "tokens": [ "A", "likeness", "of", ",", "The", "Girl" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does Corso do once he is in possession of all nine engravings?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "Corso", "do", "once", "he", "is", "in", "possession", "of", "all", "nine", "engravings", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "He performs the ceremony and enters the Ninth Gate.", "tokens": [ "He", "performs", "the", "ceremony", "and", "enters", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "." ] }, { "text": "He crosses through the Ninth gate.", "tokens": [ "He", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "gate", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What is the Ninth Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows?", "tokens": [ "What", "is", "the", "Ninth", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "a book based on a book written by the devil", "tokens": [ "a", "book", "based", "on", "a", "book", "written", "by", "the", "devil" ] }, { "text": "a book", "tokens": [ "a", "book" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What is so special about the Ninth Gates Story?", "tokens": [ "What", "is", "so", "special", "about", "the", "Ninth", "Gates", "Story", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "it is said to have a way to call the devil, to get invincibility and immortality", "tokens": [ "it", "is", "said", "to", "have", "a", "way", "to", "call", "the", "devil", ",", "to", "get", "invincibility", "and", "immortality" ] }, { "text": "It tells how to summon the devil and gain immortality.", "tokens": [ "It", "tells", "how", "to", "summon", "the", "devil", "and", "gain", "immortality", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does the LCF in the engravings mean?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "the", "LCF", "in", "the", "engravings", "mean", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "It is rumored to stand for Lucifer", "tokens": [ "It", "is", "rumored", "to", "stand", "for", "Lucifer" ] }, { "text": "Lucifer", "tokens": [ "Lucifer" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What theory does Corso have about the LCF engravings?", "tokens": [ "What", "theory", "does", "Corso", "have", "about", "the", "LCF", "engravings", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "That all the authentic engravings with LCF are needed to complete the ritual", "tokens": [ "That", "all", "the", "authentic", "engravings", "with", "LCF", "are", "needed", "to", "complete", "the", "ritual" ] }, { "text": "They are all needed to perform a ritual.", "tokens": [ "They", "are", "all", "needed", "to", "perform", "a", "ritual", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Why does the ritual fail when Balkan attempts it?", "tokens": [ "Why", "does", "the", "ritual", "fail", "when", "Balkan", "attempts", "it", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "the ninth engraving he has is a forgery", "tokens": [ "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "has", "is", "a", "forgery" ] }, { "text": "Because the ninth engraving is a forgery.", "tokens": [ "Because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "is", "a", "forgery", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is Dean Corso?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "Dean", "Corso", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "a book dealer in New York City who cons people to sell to him cheap and he resells at much higher prices", "tokens": [ "a", "book", "dealer", "in", "New", "York", "City", "who", "cons", "people", "to", "sell", "to", "him", "cheap", "and", "he", "resells", "at", "much", "higher", "prices" ] }, { "text": "a rare book dealer", "tokens": [ "a", "rare", "book", "dealer" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is \"the girl\"?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "the", "girl", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "a woman who follows Corso and helps him", "tokens": [ "a", "woman", "who", "follows", "Corso", "and", "helps", "him" ] }, { "text": "A mysterious young woman who appears to be following Corso.", "tokens": [ "A", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "who", "appears", "to", "be", "following", "Corso", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", 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"the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "How does Corso confirm his theory about the engravings?", "tokens": [ "How", "does", "Corso", "confirm", "his", "theory", "about", "the", "engravings", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "The Baroness's book has 3 different engravings", "tokens": [ "The", "Baroness", "s", "book", "has", "3", "different", "engravings" ] }, { "text": "He find's \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the baroness's book.", "tokens": [ "He", "find", "s", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "baroness", "s", "book", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. 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"alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who actually wrote the Ninth Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows?", "tokens": [ "Who", "actually", "wrote", "the", "Ninth", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Aristide Torchia a 17th century author", "tokens": [ "Aristide", "Torchia", "a", "17th", "century", "author" ] }, { "text": "The Devil", "tokens": [ "The", "Devil" ] } ]
{ "id": "728fb0c9da98fa7853adac4934987df261d51041", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Ninth-Gate%2C-The.html", "file_size": 146897, "word_count": 27766, "start": "The Ninth Gate", "end": "a speck .", "summary": { "text": " Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), a New York City rare book dealer, makes his living conning people into selling him valuable antique books for a low price, and then re-selling them to private collectors. Corso meets with wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who has recently acquired a copy of the (fictional) book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three extant copies. The book is an adaptation of one written by the Devil himself and purportedly contains the means to summon the Devil and acquire invincibility and immortality. Balkan believes two of the copies are forgeries. He hires Corso to check all three, and acquire the legitimate one by any means necessary.\nBalkan's copy was acquired from Andrew Telfer (Willy Holt), who killed himself soon after. Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) seduces Corso, in a failed attempt to get the book back. Meanwhile, Corso leaves the book for safekeeping with bookseller Bernie Rothstein (James Russo), who is then murdered; his corpse is found posed like an engraving in The Nine Gates.\nCorso travels to Toledo, Spain. The Ceniza brothers, book restorers, show him that three of the engravings are signed \"LCF\". Corso deduces that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso travels to Sintra, Portugal, to compare Victor Fargas' (Jack Taylor) copy of the book to Balkan's. To Corso's surprise, he discovers that the signature \"LCF\" is found in three different engravings, which vary in small but significant details from the images in the Balkan copy. The next morning, a mysterious young woman (identified only as \"the Girl\") (Emmanuelle Seigner) who appears to have been shadowing Corso since Balkan hired him, awakens Corso and leads him to Fargas' house. He finds the old man murdered and the \"LCF\"-signed engravings ripped out of that copy.\nIn Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), who owns the third copy. At first the Baroness refuses to cooperate, but Corso intrigues her with evidence that the engravings differ among the three copies. He explains his idea: each copy contains three different \"LCF\"-signed engravings, therefore all three copies are required for the ritual. Corso finds \"LCF\" on three different engravings in the Baroness's book confirming his theory.\nKessler is killed, and the Girl rescues Corso from Liana's bodyguard. When Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room, he follows her, and witnesses her using the book in a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, and leaves with the engraved pages and his own intact copy.\nCorso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, depicted in one of the engravings, and finds Balkan preparing the final ritual. After a struggle, Balkan traps Corso in a hole in the floor. Balkan performs his summoning ritual: he arranges the engravings on a makeshift altar, and recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings. Balkan then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself to be immune to suffering. Balkan's invocation fails, and he screams in pain as the flames engulf him. Corso frees himself, kills Balkan, takes the engravings, and escapes.\nOutside, the Girl appears and has sex with him by the light of the burning castle. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving he had used was a forgery. On her suggestion, Corso returns to the Ceniza brothers' now vacant shop. By chance he finds the authentic ninth engraving. On it, there is a likeness of the Girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle. He has completed the ritual requirements, and he crosses through the Ninth Gate into the light.", "tokens": [ "Dean", "Corso", "(", "Johnny", "Depp", ")", ",", "a", "New", "York", "City", "rare", "book", "dealer", ",", "makes", "his", "living", "conning", "people", "into", "selling", "him", "valuable", "antique", "books", "for", "a", "low", "price", ",", "and", "then", "re-selling", "them", "to", "private", "collectors", ".", "Corso", "meets", "with", "wealthy", "book", "collector", "Boris", "Balkan", "(", "Frank", "Langella", ")", ",", "who", "has", "recently", "acquired", "a", "copy", "of", "the", "(", "fictional", ")", "book", "The", "Nine", "Gates", "of", "the", "Kingdom", "of", "Shadows", "by", "17th-century", "author", "Aristide", "Torchia", ",", "one", "of", "only", "three", "extant", "copies", ".", "The", "book", "is", "an", "adaptation", "of", "one", "written", "by", "the", "Devil", "himself", "and", "purportedly", "contains", "the", "means", "to", "summon", "the", "Devil", "and", "acquire", "invincibility", "and", "immortality", ".", "Balkan", "believes", "two", "of", "the", "copies", "are", "forgeries", ".", "He", "hires", "Corso", "to", "check", "all", "three", ",", "and", "acquire", "the", "legitimate", "one", "by", "any", "means", "necessary", ".", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "was", "acquired", "from", "Andrew", "Telfer", "(", "Willy", "Holt", ")", ",", "who", "killed", "himself", "soon", "after", ".", "Telfer", "s", "widow", "Liana", "(", "Lena", "Olin", ")", "seduces", "Corso", ",", "in", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "get", "the", "book", "back", ".", "Meanwhile", ",", "Corso", "leaves", "the", "book", "for", "safekeeping", "with", "bookseller", "Bernie", "Rothstein", "(", "James", "Russo", ")", ",", "who", "is", "then", "murdered", ";", "his", "corpse", "is", "found", "posed", "like", "an", "engraving", "in", "The", "Nine", "Gates", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Toledo", ",", "Spain", ".", "The", "Ceniza", "brothers", ",", "book", "restorers", ",", "show", "him", "that", "three", "of", "the", "engravings", "are", "signed", "LCF", ".", "Corso", "deduces", "that", "Lucifer", "himself", "designed", "and", "cut", "them", ".", "Corso", "travels", "to", "Sintra", ",", "Portugal", ",", "to", "compare", "Victor", "Fargas", "'", "(", "Jack", "Taylor", ")", "copy", "of", "the", "book", "to", "Balkan", "s", ".", "To", "Corso", "s", "surprise", ",", "he", "discovers", "that", "the", "signature", "LCF", "is", "found", "in", "three", "different", "engravings", ",", "which", "vary", "in", "small", "but", "significant", "details", "from", "the", "images", "in", "the", "Balkan", "copy", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "a", "mysterious", "young", "woman", "(", "identified", "only", "as", "the", "Girl", ")", "(", "Emmanuelle", "Seigner", ")", "who", "appears", "to", "have", "been", "shadowing", "Corso", "since", "Balkan", "hired", "him", ",", "awakens", "Corso", "and", "leads", "him", "to", "Fargas", "'", "house", ".", "He", "finds", "the", "old", "man", "murdered", "and", "the", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", "ripped", "out", "of", "that", "copy", ".", "In", "Paris", ",", "Corso", "visits", "the", "Baroness", "Kessler", "(", "Barbara", "Jefford", ")", ",", "who", "owns", "the", "third", "copy", ".", "At", "first", "the", "Baroness", "refuses", "to", "cooperate", ",", "but", "Corso", "intrigues", "her", "with", "evidence", "that", "the", "engravings", "differ", "among", "the", "three", "copies", ".", "He", "explains", "his", "idea", ":", "each", "copy", "contains", "three", "different", "LCF", "-signed", "engravings", ",", "therefore", "all", "three", "copies", "are", "required", "for", "the", "ritual", ".", "Corso", "finds", "LCF", "on", "three", "different", "engravings", "in", "the", "Baroness", "s", "book", "confirming", "his", "theory", ".", "Kessler", "is", "killed", ",", "and", "the", "Girl", "rescues", "Corso", "from", "Liana", "s", "bodyguard", ".", "When", "Liana", "steals", "Balkan", "s", "copy", "from", "Corso", "s", "hotel", "room", ",", "he", "follows", "her", ",", "and", "witnesses", "her", "using", "the", "book", "in", "a", "Satanist", "ceremony", ".", "Balkan", "suddenly", "interrupts", "the", "ceremony", ",", "kills", "Liana", ",", "and", "leaves", "with", "the", "engraved", "pages", "and", "his", "own", "intact", "copy", ".", "Corso", "pursues", "Balkan", "to", "a", "remote", "castle", ",", "depicted", "in", "one", "of", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "finds", "Balkan", "preparing", "the", "final", "ritual", ".", "After", "a", "struggle", ",", "Balkan", "traps", "Corso", "in", "a", "hole", "in", "the", "floor", ".", "Balkan", "performs", "his", "summoning", "ritual", ":", "he", "arranges", "the", "engravings", "on", "a", "makeshift", "altar", ",", "and", "recites", "a", "series", "of", "phrases", "related", "to", "each", "of", "the", "nine", "engravings", ".", "Balkan", "then", "douses", "the", "floor", "and", "himself", "with", "gasoline", "and", "sets", "it", "alight", ",", "believing", "himself", "to", "be", "immune", "to", "suffering", ".", "Balkan", "s", "invocation", "fails", ",", "and", "he", "screams", "in", "pain", "as", "the", "flames", "engulf", "him", ".", "Corso", "frees", "himself", ",", "kills", "Balkan", ",", "takes", "the", "engravings", ",", "and", "escapes", ".", "Outside", ",", "the", "Girl", "appears", "and", "has", "sex", "with", "him", "by", "the", "light", "of", "the", "burning", "castle", ".", "She", "tells", "him", "that", "Balkan", "failed", "because", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "he", "had", "used", "was", "a", "forgery", ".", "On", "her", "suggestion", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "Ceniza", "brothers", "'", "now", "vacant", "shop", ".", "By", "chance", "he", "finds", "the", "authentic", "ninth", "engraving", ".", "On", "it", ",", "there", "is", "a", "likeness", "of", "the", "Girl", ".", "With", "the", "last", "engraving", "in", "hand", ",", "Corso", "returns", "to", "the", "castle", ".", "He", "has", "completed", "the", "ritual", "requirements", ",", "and", "he", "crosses", "through", "the", "Ninth", "Gate", "into", "the", "light", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Gate", "title": "The Ninth Gate" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Ninth Gate, The Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Ninth Gate, The script, Ninth Gate, The movie script, Ninth Gate, The film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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97\">\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b>\n<b><FONT SIZE=2><P><HR></P>\n</b><B><P>The Ninth Gate (1999) - Dean Corso... A Roman Polanski Film</B> </P>\n<P>Written by...Enrique Urbiz, Roman Polanski, and John Brownjohn </P>\n<P>Telfer House, Library. Night. Andrew Telfer, a scrawny seventy-year-old, is writing a note at his desk in one corner of a big, book-lined room. Dangling from the central chandelier is a noose. A chair stands beneath it. Telfer looks up for a moment. Blankly, he eyes a framed photoportrait on his desk: a beautiful, thirty-something blonde returns his gaze with an enigmatic smile. He stops writing and folds the sheet, scrawls something on the back, and leaves it on the desk. Then he walks to the centre of the room and climbs on the chair. He puts his head through the noose and tightens it around his neck. He kicks away the back of the chair, but it doesn't fall. Frantically, he tries again: this time the chair topples over. The chandelier squeaks as it swings on its hook, but it holds. Fragments of plaster come raining down. His neck isn't broken: he starts to choke. His feet perform a \nconvulsive dance in mid-air only six inches above the floor; one of his shoes comes off. The camera leaves the dying man and moves in on the bookshelves. To the accompaniment of choking sounds, it pans across the rows of volumes until it reaches a gap that shows where one of them has been removed. The choking sounds cease. The camera enters the black void left by the missing book. The screen goes dark. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan apartment. Day. Manhattan skyline seen through a picture window. Above it, reflected in the windowpane, the face of an old woman seated with her back to the room. Her expression is impassive and self-absorbed, her twisted mouth suggests she's a stroke victim. She seems quite uninvolved in the action behind her. <BR>\nCorso: (Off screen) An impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Sure you want to sell them all? (Dean Corso, a tall, lean, rather unkempt man in his 30's. Steel-rimmed glasses, crumpled old tweed jacket, worn cords, scuffed brown oxfords. He replaces a book on a shelf. Standing beside him is the old woman's son, a middle-aged man with a puffy red face. Her daughter-in-law looks on, one hand cupping her elbow, the fingers of the other playing avidly with her lower lip. The son is cuddling a large Scotch on the rocks like it's an integral part of his anatomy. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: They're no use to Father, not anymore -not now he's passed away. His library was his own little world. Now it's just a painful memory for Mother here. <BR>\nDaughter-in-law: Unbearably painful. <BR>\nCorso: (glances at them over the top of his glasses, then at the old woman. It's clear that the old woman's true source of pain is their desire to convert her late husband's library into hard cash. He picks up a notebook, adjusts his glasses with an instinctive, habitual movement, taps the notebook with his pencil) Corso: Well, at a rough, preliminary estimate, you have a collection here worth around two hundred thousand dollars. <BR>\nDaughter-in-Law: (almost jumps): Two hundred thousand?! <BR>\nCorso: Or thereabouts. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He smiles sweetly at the Daughter-in-Law. The old woman continues to stare blankly at her reflection in the window. Behind her, the son sidles up to Corso, who indicates the volumes in question. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Son: How much were you thinking of... <BR>\nCorso: Hmm... I couldn't go higher than four grand - four-and-a-half tops. (takes an envelope from his shoulder bag and starts peeling off some bills) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Manhattan Apartment. Corridor. Day. Corso walks along the corridor toward the elevator with the canvas bag slung from his shoulder. He's grinning to himself. The bag is obviously heavier than it was. The elevator doors open just as he's about to press the button. He almost collides with a bespectacled, briefcase-carrying man in a three-piece suit and bow tie (Witkin). <BR>\nWitkin: (caustically): You here? You didn't waste much time. <BR>\nCorso: Hello, Witkin. There's a small fortune in there. (smiles sardonically) Help yourself. <BR>\nWitking: (eyes Corso's beg suspiciously): You're a vulture, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Who isn't in our business? <BR>\nWitkin: You'd stoop to anything. <BR>\nCorso: (brushes past him into the elevator, turns and pats his shoulder bag) For a 'Quixote' by Ybarra? You bet I would. <BR>\nWitkin: (indignantly) Unscrupulous, thoroughly unscrupulous! <BR>\nCorso: (thumbs the elevator button): Good hunting! (The elevator doors close on Witkin’s face.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Day. A sign says \"CLOSED.\" Corso pushes open the door of an old fashioned semibasement bookstore - 'BERNIE'S RARE BOOKS' – and enters. He walks up to the counter and deposits his bag on it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Off Screen) Witkin just called me. He's spitting blood. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around. The voice came from ten feet up and three bookcases along. Bernie Feldman, a man around Corso's age with dark, curly hair receding at the temples, is perched at the top of a spiral staircase) What's his problem? <BR>\nBernie: (replacing some books): He says you're a double-dealing, money grubbing bastard. He says he had that sale tied up, and now you've queered his pitch. <BR>\nCorso: (grins to himself): He should be quicker off the mark. (Bernie starts to descend. Corso goes over to a wall cupboard and opens it. An assortment of bottles and glasses come to light.) May I? <BR>\nBernie:Your valuation was way over the odds it's brought those people out In a rash. They're now asking twice what the books are worth. (Corso, still grinning, pours himself a slug of Scotch. Bernie reaches the ground) He's talking about suing you. Well, let's face it: you screwed him. That's what it's called. <BR>\nCorso: I know what it's called. <BR>\nBernie: (comes up close) He also says you snaffled the 'Don Qui ... (he stops when Corso shows him the four volumes of the ‘Quixote'. He bends over to examine them, whistles appreciatively) The Ybarra 'Don Quixote', 1780, four volumes. Fantastic! (opens one) Sonofabitch, you're the best in the business. Definitely. <BR>\nCorso: And the most expensive. (smiles slyly) That client of yours, the Swiss, is he still interested in this edition? <BR>\nBernie: (smiles back, then redirects his attention to the books) Sure, but Witkin will blow a fuse. I told him I had nothing to do with this operation. <BR>\nCorso: (knocks back his Scotch in one gulp. Takes out a crumpled cigarette from the pocket of his overcoat, he sticks it in his mouth and lights it) Nothing except your ten percent. <BR>\nBernie: Twenty. The Swiss is my client, remember. <BR>\nCorso: (shakes his head): No deal. <BR>\nBernie: Fifteen. (cynically) For my children's sake. <BR>\nCorso: You don't have any. <BR>\nBernie: I'm still young. Give me time. <BR>\nCorso: (eblows out a stream of smoke, unmoved): Ten. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>A taxi pulls up outside an opulent building downtown. Corso gets out, dodges a persistent beggar, and enters. The sign above the entrance reads: 'BALKAN PUBLICATIONS'. Inside, he nods to the security guard at the desk and makes his way across the lobby to a door at the back. Beside it stands an easel-mounted announcement: 'Demons and Medieval Literature, by Boris Balkan, Ph.D.' It's adorned with a medieval engraving of an Inquisition torture scene. Enter Lecture Room. Boris Balkan, standing at a state-of-the-art lecturer's desk, is a bulky, imposing figure of a man around 50 years old. His thick gray hair is slicked back to reveal a domed forehead. Wearing a pair of heavy hornrimmed glasses, he speaks in a deep, slow, almost monotonous voice, but with great authority. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Relevant information may be found in Antoine Martin del Rio's 'Disquisitionum Magicarum', Louvain 1599, and earlier, in 1580, in 'De la d'monomanle des sorciers' by the Frenchman, Jean Bodin... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>His eyes flicker in the direction of the door as Corso enters. His entrance has also been noted by a girl in jeans and white sneakers: childlike face, short hair and green, feline eyes. He sits down in the same row, but on the other side of the aisle, settles himself in his chair and scans the audience, most of whom are middle-aged and female. He gives the girl a cursory glance, then concentrates on Balkan. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Bodin was probably the first to attempt to establish a system - if the term system may be applied to the Middle Ages - for classifying the contemporary perceptions of evil. In Bodin we find one of the first definitions of the word 'witch'. I quote: (cocks his head for a better look at the text) 'A witch is a person who, though cognizant of the laws of God, endeavors to act through the medium of a pact with the Devil...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>As Balkan continues the lecture, Corso's eyelids begin to droop. We pan over the faces of the audience (the girl is still observing Corso). Balkan's voice drones on, fades away. Later...Corso’s fast asleep. <BR>\nBalkan: (Off Screen) I see you enjoyed my little talk, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: (gives a start and opens his eyes. He takes a moment or two to focus on Balkan, who's standing over him. Peering around, he sees that the lecture is over. The last of the audience are filing out. We glimpse the girl making her exit.) Did I snore? <BR>\nBalkan: Nice of you to ask. No, not that I noticed. Shall we go? (He gestures at the door with a cold and impassive air. Corso gets to his feet. Balkan walks swiftly across the lobby to the elevators with Corso at his heels. They leave behind a buzz of conversation from members of the audience who are still discussing the lecture. ) Don't you sleep nights? <BR>\nCorso: Like a baby. <BR>\nBalkan: Strange, I'd have bet a brace of Gutenberg Bibles you spend half the night with your eyes peeled. You're one of those lean, hungry, restless types that put the wind up Julius Caesar - men who'd stab their friends in the back. (They reach the elevator. Balkan presses a button and turns to Corso, who yawns.) Not, I suspect, that you have many friends, do you, Mr. Corso? Your kind seldom does. <BR>\nCorso: (calmly): Go to hell. <BR>\nBalkan: (is unruffled by Corso's words. The elevator doors open. He stands aside to let Corso pass, then follows him in. He punches a code number on the elevator's digital keyboard. The elevator starts to ascend. )You're right, of course. Your friendships don't concern me in the least. Our relations have always been strictly commercial, isn't that so? There's no one more reliable than a man whose loyalty can be bought for hard cash. <BR>\nCorse: Hey, Balkan, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. You want to expound your personal philosophy, write another book. <BR>\nBalkan: You don't like me, do you? <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs) I don't have to like you. You're a client, and you pay well. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The elevator doors open into a spacious room faced with black marble. The walls are bare save for a big, back-lighted photograph of a ruined castle overlooking a desolate valley. Two huge windows in the right-hand wall extend from floor to ceiling. Visible outside on the building's floodlit facade, gargoyles gaze out over the city with their monstrous heads propped on their claws. The centre of the room is occupied by a rectangular block of tinted glass resembling a big black monolith. Vaguely discernible through the glass are shelves filled with antique books in exquisite bindings. Balkan leads Corso over to the 'monolith' . He gestures at it proudly, soliciting admiration. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: Yup. <BR>\nBalkan: You're privileged, Corso. Very few people have ever set foot in here. This is my private collection. Some bibliophiles specialize in Gothic novels, others in Books of Hours. All my own rare editions have the same protagonist: the Devil. <BR>\nCorso: (impressed but does his best not to show it) May I take a look? <BR>\nBalkan: That's why I brought you here. (Balkan goes over to the 'monolith' and punches a keyboard on a control panel, gestures to Corso to come closer. Corso puts out his hand. Before he can touch the glass, it glides aside with a faint hum. He fixes his glasses and glances at Balkan, who looks on calmly. His eyes roam along the spines of the books. Balkan comes and stands beside him.) Beautiful, aren't they? That soft sheen, that superb gilding... Not to mention the centuries of wisdom they contain - centuries of erudition, of delving into the secrets of the Universe and the hearts of men. I know people who would kill for a collection like this. (Corso shoots him a quick glance) The Ars Diavoli! You'll never see as many books on the subject anywhere else in the world. They're the rarest, the choicest editions in existence. It has taken me a lifetime to assemble them. Only the supreme masterpiece was missing. Come. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He accompanies Corso on his tour of the collection. They come to the end of the ‘monolith'. Gesturing to Corso to follow him, Balkan goes over to an ultramodern, brushed steel lectern standing beside one of the huge picture windows. As he approaches the lectern, Corso briefly glimpses the sheer drop beyond the window, the twinkling lights of traffic passing in the street far below. Reposing on the lectern is a black book adorned with a gold pentagram. Corso opens it at the title page, which displays the title in Latin and a pictorial engraving. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (not looking at Balkan) 'The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows... <BR>\nBalkan: You're familiar with it? <BR>\nCorso: Sure. Venice, 1623. The author and printer was Aristide Torchia, burned by the Holy Inquisition, together with all his works. Only three copies survived. <BR>\nBalkan: One. <BR>\nCorso: The catalogs list three copies surviving in private ownership: the Fargas, the Kessler, and the Telfer. <BR>\nBalkan: True. You've done your homework, but you're wrong nonetheless. According to all the sources I myself have consulted, only one is authentic. The author confessed under torture that he'd hidden one copy. Only one. <BR>\nCorso: Well, three are known. <BR>\nBalkan: That's the trouble. <BR>\nCorso: (resumes his inspection of the book) Where did you get it? <BR>\nBalkan: I bought it from Telfer. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised) Telfer? <BR>\nBalkan: (looking out the window): Yes, he finally sold it to me. The day before he killed himself. <BR>\nCorso: Good timing. <BR>\nBalkan: (ignores this. Corso turns the pages with care. He lingers over an engraving of a knight in armor riding toward a castle with a finger to his lips as though enjoining the reader to silence. Below it is a caption. Balkan draws closer and reads over Corso's shoulder) Nemo pervenit qui non legitime certaverit. <BR>\nCorso: You only succeed if you fight by the rules? <BR>\nBalkan: More or less. Ever heard of the 'Delomelanicon'? <BR>\nCorso: Heard of it, yes. A myth, isn't it? Some horrific book reputed to have been written by Satan himself. <BR>\nBalkan: No myth. That book existed. Torchia actually acquired it. (he returns to the window overlooking the sheer drop. Gazing down, he goes on) The engravings you're now admiring were adapted by Torchia from the 'Delomelanicon'. They're a form of satanic riddle. Correctly interpreted with the aid of the original text and sufficient inside information, they're reputed to conjure up the Prince of Darkness in person. <BR>\nCorso: You don't say. (he continues to turn the pages) <BR>\nBalkan: Are you a religious man, Corso? I mean, do you believe in the supernatural? <BR>\nCorso: I believe in my percentage. I also believe that books grow old and decay like the rest of us. Don't you get dizzy, standing there? (Balkan continues to stare down at the city) What the hell do you want from me, Balkan? <BR>\nBalkan: (leaves the window and confronts him) I want you to go to Europe and play the detective. The other two copies are in Portugal and France. You must find some way of comparing them with mine: every page, every engraving, the binding - everything. I'm convinced that only one can be authentic, and I want to know which one it is. <BR>\nCorso: Could be an expensive trip. <BR>\nBalkan: (takes a folded check from his pocket and hands it to Corso, who slips it into his breast pocket unexamined) That's to get you started. Spend what you need. <BR>\nCorso: What if I find your copy's a forgery? <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him coldly) It's quite on the cards. <BR>\nCorso: (seeming mildly surprised. He looks at the book again, 'listens' to the quality of the paper by putting his ear to the pages and riffling them with his thumb) Really? It doesn't appear to be. Even the paper sounds kosher. <BR>\nBalkan: Even so. There may be something wrong with it. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to examine the book. He smiles)You mean the Devil won't show up? (shuts the book and replaces it on the lectern) <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be flippant. (quotes) 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' <BR>\nCorso: Hamlet believed in ghosts, not demons. <BR>\nBalkan: If all three copies turn out to be bogus or incomplete, your work will be done. If one of them proves to be genuine, on the other hand, I'll finance you further. (Corso stares at him, then unfolds the check and glances at the amount - a substantial sum, from the way he raises his eyebrows) I shall want you to get it for me at all costs, never mind how. <BR>\nCorso: Never mind how sounds illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: It wouldn't be the first time you've done something illegal. <BR>\nCorso: Not that illegal. <BR>\nBalkan: Hence the size of the check. Do a good job, and I'll double it. (He picks up 'The Nine Gates' and holds it out. After a moment's hesitation, Corso replaces the check in his pocket and takes the book) Be careful, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: What do you mean? (indicates the book) With this? <BR>\nBalkan: Just be careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. A small kitchen. Corso, one hand wrapped around a Scotch, uses the other to remove a TV dinner from the freezer compartment of his refrigerator and insert it in a microwave. He shuts the door, sets the timer, and strolls out into the living room. A plain apartment. No pictures, ornaments or photographs, just books on every available shelf and surface. Against one wall, a desk with a computer on it. On the floor beside the desk, Corso's shabby canvas bag. On the desk itself, 'The Nine Gates'. Corso goes over to the desk. He stares down at the book for a long moment, meditatively sipping his Scotch. Then, without putting his glass down, he opens the book one-handed and idly turns a few pages, pauses at the engraving of the knight in armor riding toward the castle. The camera moves in slowly until the screen is filled with the image of the knight with his finger enigmatically raised to his lips. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Telfer House. Library. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder, is standing in the middle of a sitting room. The decor, which includes a smiling portrait of Andrew Telfer, is very rich. He’s looking up at the portrait when the door opens. He turns to see Liana Telfer on the threshold with a business card in her hand. His appreciation of her looks is evident. Liana is a very sexy, thirtyish blonde. She gives Corso the once-over, then enters, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Mrs. Telfer? (gestures at the business card) Dean Corso. Sorry to trouble you at a time like this. (Liana comes over and sits down on a sofa, motioning Corso into the armchair that faces it over a coffee table. She puts his card down, crosses her legs, and waits. Corso sits down with his bag between his feet. Opening it, he produces 'The Nine Gates'. Liana stiffens at the sight of it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: It would be very helpful, ma'am, if you could tell me what you know about this book. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He holds it out. After a momentary pause, Liana slowly reaches for the book, opens it at random, turns a page or two. She speaks with a slight French accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (casually) Isn't this one of my husband's books? <BR>\nCorso: Right. It was in his collection until very recently. He sold it to a client of mine. I'm trying to authenticate it. <BR>\nLiana: He sold it, you say? How strange. It was one of his most treasured possessions. <BR>\nCorso: He never mentioned the sale? <BR>\nLiana: (late in answering. Corso spots her hesitation) No. It's news to me. Who bought it? <BR>\nCorso: A private collector. <BR>\nLiana: May I know his name? <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid that's confidential. <BR>\nLiana: I suppose he has a bill of sale? <BR>\nCorso: No problem there. <BR>\nLiana: Is this your job, authenticating rare books? <BR>\nCorso: And tracking them down. <BR>\nLiana: (smiles): You're a book detective. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles back): Kind of. (pause) Do you recall when and where your husband acquired this book? <BR>\nLiana: In Spain. We were vacationing at Toledo. Andrew got very excited -- paid a great deal of money for it. He was a fanatical collector. <BR>\nCorso: So I gather. <BR>\nLiana: (puts the book on the coffee table and rises) I'll show you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso rises. Then a thought strikes him: picking up the book and his bag, he follows her to a door at the far end of the room, which she opens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (cont.) Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She walks on ahead into the library in which Andrew Telfer hanged himself. Corso is eyeing her from behind. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Magnificent... (He drags his eyes away from Liana’s figure and surveys the crowded shelves) Really magnificent... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to inspect the bookshelves. In passing he glances up at the chandelier, which is still hanging slightly askew. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Andrew used to spend many hours in here.Too many. <BR>\nCorso: Did he ever try it out? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He asks the question with an air of spurious innocence, looking around the room as he does so. Liana frowns. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: I don't understand. <BR>\nCorso: The book - did he ever use it to perform some kind of ritual intended to... well. produce a supernatural effect? <BR>\nLiana: Are you serious? <BR>\nCorso: Absolutely. <BR>\nLiana: A Black Mass, you mean? <BR>\nCorso: More or less. An attempt to conjure up the Devil. <BR>\nLiana: Andrew was a trifle eccentric, Mr. Corso, but he wasn't insane. It's true he'd been acting strangely those last few days. He shut himself up in here - seldom emerged except for meals. (She draws a deep breath, glances at the chandelier) That morning I was woken by the screams of the maid: he'd hanged himself. (pauses, looks at him) Whatever he was up to, I certainly can't see him chanting mumbo-jumbo or trying to raise the dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The flippant tone of the last few words sounds rather forced. Corso smiles at her faintly over his glasses, pats his shoulder bag. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: The Devil, Mrs. Telfer. This book is designed to raise the Devil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso exits the Telfer House and crosses the forecourt to the street. A man with a mustache and a scarred face is leaning against a limo parked outside the house, smoking a small cigar. They eye each other briefly. Corso reaches the sidewalk just as a cab sails past. He raises his hand too late to flag it down, looks around for another. The mustached man’s cellphone beeps. He reaches into the limo and picks up the receiver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Reference Library, Day. Numerous readers are occupying the rows of tables in the central area. Corso is seated at one of the tables with the 'Nine Gates' in front of him. Beside it reposes a large catalog and his notebook. The 'Nine Gates' is open at the frontispiece, which displays the title - 'De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis'- and the words 'Sic Luceat Lux' separated by an emblem consisting of a tree encircled by a snake devouring it’s own tail. As we move in on the coiled snake, we hear Corso translating to himself in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (Off Screen) Sic Luceat Lux ... Thus let the light shine... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The day goes on. Many of the tables are now deserted and Corso shuts a catalog and gets up to replace It in the wall of books behind him. He runs his finger along a shelf till he comes to another fat tome and removes it. He's startled to see, framed in the gap where the book just was, the face of the girl at Balkan's lecture: short hair, green, feline eyes. The face recedes and disappears. Corso quickly rounds the end of the bookshelf: no sign of her. He looks both ways, but the aisles are deserted. Puzzled, he resumes his seat and opens the second catalog. Then, sensing that he's being watched, he swings around. Nothing outwardly suspicious, just two students comparing notes, whispering. He scans the reading-room at large: still nothing. He turns some pages in 'The Nine Gates', comes to an engraving of a naked woman riding a seven headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. He \nconsults the second catalog, which displays a small reproduction of the same scene with text wrapped around it, and jots something down in his notebook. Tired, he straightens and stretches, removes his glasses, pinches the bridge of his nose. As he scans the room, his vision gives him an unfocused glimpse of the girl looking down at him from the gallery overhead. By the time he replaces his glasses, she's gone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s Apartment. Night. It's raining hard. He trudges up the steps of his brownstone with the canvas bag on his shoulder and a bag of groceries in his arms. He rides the elevator up and walks down the passage to his door. He puts his key in the lock and tries to turn it but finds that it’s unlocked already. He tries the second lock and turns it. This is unlocked as well so the door opens at once. It takes him a moment to digest this but then he hears a muffled crash from inside the apartment: and a window has been flung open in a hurry. He bursts into the living room. No one there, but the light is on. Dropping his shoulder bag and groceries, he dashes into the bedroom. The window is open and the curtains are billowing out into the room. He darts to the window, flings one leg over the sill and climbs out on the fire escape. Feet can be heard clattering down the fire escape. He peers \nover the rail just in time to see a dark figure head into the side street beneath him and sprint off through the rain. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (yells half-heartedly): Hey, you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He gives up and climbs back inside, and scans the living room. The only immediate sign of the intruder's presence is that the chair has been pulled away from the desk and one of the drawers is open. He pushes the chair back into place and shuts the drawer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s book store. Next day. 'The Nine Gates' is lying open on Bernie's desk. He's reverently turning the pages with Corso at his elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: Son of a bitch... Where did you get this? <BR>\nCorso: Balkan. He wants me to research it. <BR>\nBernie: Balkan owns a 'Nine Gates'? <BR>\nCorso: Recently acquired from the late lamented Andrew Telfer. <BR>\nBernie: Trust Balkan. What does he need you for? I don't suppose he plans to sell it. <BR>\nCorso: He wants me to compare it with the other two surviving copies in Portugal and France. I'm off to Europe. <BR>\nBernie: Compare it? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah. Only one of the three is authentic, he says. <BR>\nBernie: Well, this one looks genuine enough. Must be worth a million. Jesus! Take good care of it. <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here. I need you to stash it for me. I'm starting to see things. <BR>\nBernie: (stares at him) Like what? <BR>\nCorso: Uninvited visitors, unfamiliar faces. I don't trust anyone, not even Balkan. (reflects for a moment) Come to think of it, I don't even trust you. <BR>\nBernie: (a mixture of affection and cynicism) That's mean, buddy. You know I'd never screw you without a damn good reason: money, women, business. Anything else, you can relax. <BR>\nCorso: (taps the book with his forefinger) You'll answer for this with your balls, Bernie. <BR>\nBernie: (still engrossed): Sure, man, sure. You can castrate me personally. <BR>\nCorso: I'll pick it up on my way to the airport. <BR>\nBernie: No problem. (He continues to pore over the book, turns another page, reads aloud) 'Virtue lies vanquished', huh? These engravings are terrific. <BR>\nCorso: (leans over his shoulder): Or horrific, whichever. <BR>\nBernie: (nods absently. He smiles to himself with an air of enchantment) Beautiful, just beautiful... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Visible through the bookstore's semi-basement windows, the legs of passerby accelerate as they scurry past: it has started to rain. A pair of man’s legs in dark slacks come to a halt. The butt of a small cigar falls to the sidewalk, the legs walk on. Two white sneakers come into view. They step on the butt and extinguish it. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s apartment. Night. In the bedroom, Corso packs some articles of clothing and toiletries in a small suitcase lying open on the bed. The doorbell rings. Somewhat startled, Corso straightens up, dumps a handful of socks on the bed and goes out into the lobby. He peers through the spyhole: Liana Telfer is standing outside. He pauses for a moment, thinking hard, then opens the door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: May I come in? <BR>\nCorso: (steps aside and lets her in) This way. (he shows her into the living room. She starts to unbutton her coat) Allow me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He helps her off with her coat and drapes it neatly over a chair. She's dressed to kill in a black, lowcut cocktail gown. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Thank you. <BR>\nCorso: Sit down, won't you? <BR>\nLiana: (sits gracefully on the sofa, taking in the decor of his bachelor apartment as she does so) I've come to talk business. <BR>\nCorso: Great. Everyone's talking business to me lately. <BR>\nLiana: (takes a slim gold cigarette case from her purse, and lights it) Yesterday, when you came to see me about that book, I was too surprised to react as I should have done. I mean, it really was one of Andrew's favorites. <BR>\nCorso: So you said. <BR>\nLiana: I'd like to get it back. <BR>\nCorso: That could be a problem. <BR>\nLiana: Not necessarily. it all depends. <BR>\nCorso: On what? <BR>\nLiana: On you. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, absorbing the lines of her figure) I don't understand, Mrs. Telfer. The book isn't mine to dispose of. <BR>\nLiana: (She sits back, showing off her legs) You work for money, I take it? <BR>\nCorso: What else? <BR>\nLiana: I have a great deal of money. <BR>\nCorso: I'm happy for you. <BR>\nLiana: You could stage a theft. I'm sure your client is well insured. <BR>\nCorso: I'm a professional, ma'am. <BR>\nLiana: You're a professional mercenary. Mercenaries work for the highest bidder. <BR>\nCorso: I make a living. <BR>\nLiana: (huskily): I could throw in a bonus. <BR>\nCorso: This has happened before someplace. <BR>\nLiana: I know. In the movies. <BR>\nCorso: And she had an automatic in her stocking top. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso watches, mesmerized, as she slowly, very slowly, slides her skirt up her thighs to reveal her stocking tops and black lace garter belt. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: No automatic. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Just as slowly, she smooths her skirt down over her thighs. Corso swallows hard. He rises and goes to his drinks corner, a shelf with an array of bottles and glasses on it. Over his shoulder: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Want one? <BR>\nLiana: Why not? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso splashes some Scotch into two tumblers and carries them over to her. Liana sits motionless for an instant, looking up at him. Then, very slowly, she stubs out her cigarette, extends the same hand, and fondles his crotch. Corso, with the tumblers encumbering both his hands, can only stand there like a bird hypnotized by a snake. His Adam's apple bobs some more. Holding his gaze, Liana withdraws her hand and rises. They're only inches apart now. She takes one of the tumblers and clinks it against Corso’s, then drains it. He does the same, while in a kind of trance. Very deliberately, Liana relieves him of his glass and puts it down on the table with hers. Then, cupping his face between her hands, she proceeds to kiss him. Corso responds. He pulls up her skirt, she reaches for his zipper and yanks at it. He bears her backward and downward onto the sofa. The gown slips down over \nLiana's left shoulder, revealing a small tattoo in the shape of a snake devouring its own tail. Later. Liana’s hand reaches across the floor for Corso's canvas bag. She searches in the bag, then inverts it, spilling the contents: a couple of packs of Luckies, a notebook, an envelope full of bills, a Swiss Army knife, an expert's magnifying glass, some pencils, etc. Corso and Liana on the floor, their clothing dishevelled. Corso is lying back, still panting and sweating from his exertions, Liana is sitting up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Well, where is it? <BR>\nCorso: Where's what? <BR>\nLiana: Don't fuck with me, Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I thought that's what we were doing. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana’s eyes narrow. She goes for his face with her nails and teeth. Corso turns his head away just in time and scrambles to his feet, pulling up his trousers. Liana, beside herself with fury, flies at him with both hands extended like claws. He manages to grab her wrists and immobilize them, so she sinks her teeth in his chest. With an agonized yell, Corso releases her wrists, clasps his chest and staggers back, he's hobbled by the trousers that have slumped around his ankles. Liana looks around wildly for a weapon of some kind, catches sight of the Scotch bottle and seizes it by the neck. Corso, one hand holding his trousers at half mast, the other raised in supplication, comes shuffling toward her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, look, be reasonable... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Unmoved, Liana raises the bottle and smashes it over his head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Sometime later. Corso recovers consciousness, gingerly feels his aching head. Some blood has trickled down his face. He surveys the room, which is in chaos and has obviously been ransacked. He goes into the bathroom and inspects himself in the mirror, takes a hand towel and gingerly dabs his scalp. Holding the towel to his head, he returns to the living room, where he picks up the phone and punches out a number. We hear a recorded announcement: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bernie: (Voice Over): Hi, this is Bernie's Rare Books. I'm not available right now. If you want to leave a message, please speak after the beep. <BR>\nCorso: (into phone): Bernie, you there? Bernie? Pick up! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He hangs up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Bernie’s Book Store. Corso, bag on shoulder, is lurking in a doorway across the street from the bookstore. The place looks silent and deserted, but a dim glow indicates that a light must be on somewhere inside. Corso quits the doorway and hurries across the street. He walks down the steps to the door and tries the handle. The door opens. Only Bernie's desk light is on. No sign of Bernle himself. He listens intently, looks up at the top of the spiral staircase, which is in shadow, calls in a low voice: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bernie? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No response. He listens some more: nothing but the sound of a passing car. He makes his way cautiously along the bookcases and rounds a corner, then stops short with a look of horror on his face. Bernie has been lashed upside down to the handrail of the spiral staircase. His mouth and eyes are open, and his battered face is streaked with blood. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Jesus Christ! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He puts out a hand toward Bernie, but the man is so obviously dead that he withdraws it. He looks around in an involuntary, apprehensive way. Then, satisfied that he's alone, he starts to climb the staircase. Once past Bernie's corpse, which he studiously avoids touching, he climbs faster. The staircase creaks and sways. Reaching the third tier of bookshelves, he presses a hidden button. With a faint click, a panel springs open to disclose a recess filled with books. Corso expels a deep breath. There it is, safe and sound: 'The Nine Gates'. He looks down at Bernie. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks, man. I'm sorry... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airport. Corso, ensconced in a window seat, is moodily gazing out at some passing cloud-castles. The sun is setting. Wearing his overcoat and carrying his suitcase, threads his way through them with the canvas bag on his shoulder. Weary and unshaven, he stares straight ahead with an abstracted expression, adjusts his glasses. His footsteps echo as he walks, bag on shoulder, along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. Very few people to be seen. The sun is shining brightly, but there's a strong wind blowing. Rounding a corner, he heads down an alleyway flanked by scaffolding swathed in protective netting and blue tarpaulins. It's completely deserted. No sound but that of canvas billowing in the wind like a ship's sails. He consults a street sign, turns another corner. He reaches a doorway leading to an inner courtyard, bumps into a boy who comes running out. We hear the strident cries of a woman. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Boy: Si! Si, mama!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A flight of steps in one corner of the courtyard leads down to the basement. Corso descends them and stops outside a door. A grimy window beside it serves to display some old books and religious prints. The sign on the door reads Hermanos Ceniza Restauracion de Libros. Below it: 'On parle Francais' and 'English spoken'. He opens the door, which creaks and enters. A gaunt, bent-backed old man (Pedro Ceniza) with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his big nose looks up from an old hand press. Everything about him is as gray as the cigarette ash that rains down on his clothes and the books he's working on. He's a chain-smoker. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro:Senor. <BR>\nCorso: Buenas tardes. <BR>\nPedro: Buenes tardes. <BR>\nPablo: (Off Screen) Buenas tardes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso turns to see another old man (Pablo Ceniza) surface from behind some stacks of paper. His resemblance to Pedro is such that they can only be twins. Pablo wipes his inky hand on a rag before shaking Corso’s. Pedro follows suit. Corso hesitates briefly, as Pedro and Pablo look him up and down. Their movements are slow and serene, their expression carries a hint of mockery, and they often exchange knowing smiles. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You speak English? (They nod simultaneously. He produces 'The Nine Gates' from his shoulder bag) I'd appreciate your opinion on this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro takes the book with tremulous hands. Pablo quickly clears away some parchments on the workbench to make room for it. Some ash from Pedro's cigarette falls on the cover. Pablo clicks his tongue and blows it off. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: (reprovingly) What a habit for a bookbinder! (smiles at Corso) 'The Nine Gates...' A superb edition. Very rare. <BR>\nPedro: (opens it): The Telfer copy. <BR>\nCorso: You used to own it, right? <BR>\nPedro: We used to, yes. <BR>\nPablo: We sold it. <BR>\nPedro: We sold it when the opportunity presented itself. It was too... <BR>\nPablo: too good to miss. An excellent sale. <BR>\nPedro: An excellent buy - impeccable condition. <BR>\nPablo: Impeccable. You are the present owner? <BR>\nCorso: A client of mine. <BR>\nPablo: (over his glasses): I would never have believed she would part with it. <BR>\nCorso: She? <BR>\nPablo: (without looking up): Senora Telfer. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso reaches into his overcoat pocket and extracts a crumpled cigarette. He's raising it to his lips when he stops short, produces the equally crumpled pack and offers it to Pedro, who has just discarded his butt. Pedro helps himself to a Lucky, breaks off the filter and jams it in his mouth. Corso lights both of them. <BR>\nCorso: I understood it was Mr. Telfer that bought it. <BR>\nPablo: He paid for it. <BR>\nPedro: It was the senora who made him buy it. He did not seem particularly... (glances at Pablo) <BR>\nPablo: ...interested. <BR>\nPedro: (finished examining the text. He looks at the spine) A superb specimen. <BR>\nCorso: (hesitates briefly): Could it be a forgery? <BR>\nPedro: (suspiciously, almost indignantly) A forgery? (turns to Pablo) You heard that, Pablo? <BR>\nPablo: (wags his finger reprovingly in Corso's face) I took you for a professional, senor. You speak too lightly of forgeries. <BR>\nPedro: Far too lightly. <BR>\nPablo: Forging a book is expensive. Paper of the period, the right inks.... (makes a dismissive gesture) Too expensive to be profitable. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo assess the effect of their words on Corso, who digests them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I'm aware of all that, but could some part of it be forged? Restorers have been known to replace missing pages with pages taken from another copy of the same edition. Have you never done that yourselves? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The old men look at each other, then turn to Corso simultaneously. Pedro, looking flattered, nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Of course it can be done. <BR>\nPablo: It requires great skill, naturally, but yes, it can be done. <BR>\nCorso: Couldn't that be the case here? <BR>\nPablo: What makes you ask? <BR>\nCorso: My client wishes to satisfy himself of the book's authenticity. (The brothers eye each other over their glasses. Corso adjusts his own) His name is Balkan. Boris Balkan of New York. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo and Pedro exchange another glance. Corso detects the hint of a smile that passes between them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: All books have a destiny of their own. <BR>\nPablo: Even a life of their own. Senor Balkan is a noted bibliophile. He's no fool. He must know this book is authentic. <BR>\nPedro: We know it. <BR>\nPablo: So must he. <BR>\nPedro: This book was with us for years. <BR>\nPablo: Many years. <BR>\nPedro: We had ample opportunity to examine it thoroughly. The printing and binding are superb examples of 17th century Venetian craftsmanship. (he picks up the book and riffles the pages under Corso's nose) Finest rag paper, resistant to the passage of time! None of your modern wood pulp! <BR>\nPablo: Watermarks, identical shades, ink, type faces... If this is a forgery, or a copy with pages restored, it's the work of a master. <BR>\nPedro: A master. <BR>\nCorso: (contemplates the brothers with a smile) Did you study the engravings? They seem to form a kind of riddle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro and Pablo reopen the book and look at the engravings. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pablo: Well, yes... (another glance at Pedro) Books of this type often contain little puzzles. <BR>\nPedro: Especially in the case of such an illustrious collaborator. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks at Pedro with sudden interest, then at the book, then back at Pedro. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Collaborator? <BR>\nPedro: (shrugs, Pablo refocuses on Corso) You cannot have proceeded very far with your research. Come, look closely. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He takes a magnifying glass and holds it over one of the engravings, which shows a hermit with two keys in his hand and dog and a lantern beside him. A microscopic inscription can be detected in the bottom right corner. Corso bends over it, looking mystified. Pedro grows impatient. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pedro: Don't you see? Only seven of the engravings were signed by Aristide Torchia. <BR>\nCorso: And the other two? <BR>\nPedro: This is one of them. Look. <BR>\nCorso: (peers through the magnifying glass once more. We see the insert 'Invenit L.F.') 'L.F.'? Who's that? <BR>\nPedro: Think. <BR>\nCorso: Lucifer? <BR>\nPedro: (he and Pablo chuckle heartily) You're a clever man, senor. Torchia was not alone when they burned him alive. <BR>\nCorso: But that's absurd! You don't honestly believe... <BR>\nPedro: The man who wrote this did so in alliance with the Devil and went to the stake for it. Even Hell has its heroes, senor. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks from one to the other, trying to figure this out. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Alleyway. Day. Corso walks back along the narrow alleyway with the canvas- covered scaffolding. He glances over his shoulder. Not a soul in sight. The blue canvas flaps in the wind, the scaffolding creaks and groans. He walks on. He hears a sudden rending sound, looks back and up. There's little time to react: the scaffolding has come away from its mountings. It's starting to buckle and fall out into the street. He breaks into a run. Behind him, collapsing like a house of cards, the mass of canvas and metal gains on him as he sprints for the end of the alley, summoning up all his energy for a final burst. The last of the scaffolding hits the ground only inches behind him. He looks back at the tangled mass that has only just failed to engulf him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Train. Dining car. Night. The dining car is deserted save for Corso and a Steward, who is lolling against the kitchen bulkhead at the far end. Corso, with a coffee cup and a brandy glass at his elbow, has 'The Nine Gates' lying open in front of him at the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. There's some cigarette ash trapped between the pages. Smiling faintly, he blows it away. Then he reaches into his bag for his magnifying glass, pushes up his steel-rimmed specs, and screws the glass into his eye. He examines the engraving at close range. We see again the insert of the inscription 'Invenit L.F.' He straightens up and removes the glass from his eye. He finishes his brandy and beckons the steward. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with bag on shoulder, crosses the sliding floorplates that connect one car to another. He enters the next corridor and stops short: there's a lone figure leaning against a window, looking out: it's the girl we saw at Balkan's lecture: short dark hair, catlike green eyes, slim, athletic figure, jeans and white sneakers. Corso sets off along the corridor. When he reaches her, they eye each other's reflections in the windowpane. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (softly): Hi. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses to look at her, unable to make up his mind) I've seen you before, haven't I? <BR>\nGirl: Have you? <BR>\nCorso: Yes, somewhere. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A brief silence. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Are you traveling in this car? <BR>\nCorso: The next one. <BR>\nGirl: The sleeper. (smiles) I travel on the cheap. <BR>\nCorso: Are you a student? <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. (looks out the window again) I like trains. <BR>\nCorso: Me too. What's your name? <BR>\nGirl: Guess. <BR>\nCorso: (shrugs, smiles): Greeneyes. <BR>\nGirl: That'll do. What's yours? <BR>\nCorso: Corso. <BR>\nGirl: Strange name. <BR>\nCorso: Italian. it means 'I run'. <BR>\nGirl: You don't look like a runner to me - more the quiet type. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They look at each other's reflections once more. Corso nods. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Well, have a good trip. <BR>\nGirl: And you. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks on down the corridor. There's something weird about this chance encounter, but he can't figure out what. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See you around, maybe. <BR>\nCorso: (pauses and looks back. He nods) Maybe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Sintra Station. Day. Corso with bag on shoulder, gets off the train. A horse-drawn carriage drops him off in front of a massive gateway flanked by stone walls thick with ivy. Corso pushes open the gate, and beyond them is a neglected drive. Dead leaves litter a gravel driveway flanked by crumbling statues, some of which have toppled over onto the long-neglected, weed-infested lawn. His muffled footsteps are the only sound. Near the house is a dried-up, dilapidated fountain faced with tiles and topped by a mouldering cherub. The waters of the ornamental pond beside it are dark and coated with dead leaves and water lilies. The Quinta Fargas is a gloomy, four-square, 18th century mansion. Corso walks up the steps and tugs the old-fashioned bellpull. He waits, glances at his watch. Echoing footsteps approach. A sound of bolts being withdrawn, and the door opens to reveal Victor Fargas. Tall \nand bone thin, he has a drooping white mustache. His baggy trousers and oversized woolen sweater contrast with a pair of old but immaculately polished shoes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: Dean Corso, Mr. Fargas. (Puts out his hand) How do you do. <BR>\nFargas: (hesitates before shaking hands.) Corso, ah yes. Please come in. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas, who has a slight limp, leads the way through two reception rooms, entirely bare and empty. Corso observes the patches on the walls that indicate the former location of paintings, curtains, pieces of furniture, etc. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Fargas: Home, sweet home! (he ushers Corso into a large but sparsely furnished drawing room. ) You won't say no to a brandy, I take it? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He goes over to a side table and pours some cognac into two fine crystal glasses. Corso, meantime, is surveying the room. At the far end is a huge open fireplace. Two armchairs, a table, a sideboard, some candlesticks, a violin case - and books. They're neatly stacked on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. Corso has just discovered them when Fargas comes over with the glasses. He puts his bag down and takes one. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Thanks. (admiringly) Handsome glasses. <BR>\nFargas: These are the only ones I have left. <BR>\nCorso: (looks around the room) Must have been a beautiful place. <BR>\nFargas: It was, but old families are like ancient civilizations: they wither and die. (he raises his glass in a silent toast. Corso does the same. Fargas gestures towards the books) There they are, eight hundred and thirty-four of them. A pity you didn't see them in better times, in their bookcases. I used to have five thousand. These are the survivors. <BR>\nCorso: (runs his fingers caressingly over a book) So this is the Fargas collection. Not quite as I imagined it. <BR>\nFargas: C'est la vie, my friend. But I keep them in perfect condition, safe from damp, light, heat and rats. I dust and air them every day. it's all I do do, in fact. <BR>\nCorso: What happened to the rest? <BR>\nFargas: Sacrificed in a good cause. I had to sell them to preserve the others. Five or six books a year. Almost all the proceeds go to the state in taxes. <BR>\nCorso: Why don't you sell up? <BR>\nFargas: Sell the Fargas family estate? It's obvious you're an American, my friend. There are things you can't be expected to understand. <BR>\nCorso: (continues to survey the books, fascinated) If you sold all these your financial problems would be over... (picks up a book and examines it) Look at this, Poliphilo, for example: a real gem! <BR>\nFargas: (Corso replaces the book. Fargas leans over and carefully adjusts the book until it's precisely in its original position) I know, but if I sold them all I'd have no reason to go on living. More brandy? (he heads for the bottle on the side table without waiting for a reply.) <BR>\nCorso: What about 'The Nine Gates'? <BR>\nFargas: (puzzled): What about it? <BR>\nCorso: That's why I'm here.. I told you on the phone. <BR>\nFargas: The phone? (pause) Yes, of course, I remember now. Forgive me. Of course, 'The Nine Gates'. (he looks around several times as if trying to collect his thoughts, drains his cognac, and limps over to some books on a rug near the fireplace. They both kneel on the rug side by side. Corso examines the books, which all deal with magic, alchemy and demonology) Well, what do you think? <BR>\nCorso: Not bad. <BR>\nFargas: Not bad indeed. These I will never sell. At least ten of them are exceedingly rare. Look, Plancy's 'Dictionary of Hell', First Edition, 1842, Leonardo Fioravanti's 'Compendi di Secreti' of 1571... But this is what interests you, no? (he picks up a black book with a gold pentacle on the cover - the second copy of 'The Nine Gates' - and holds it out. Corso takes it carefully and gets to his feet. Fargas rises too) There it is, in perfect condition. It has traveled the world for three-and-a-half centuries, yet it might have been printed yesterday. <BR>\nCorso: (takes the book over to a window. Fargas follows) Is it in order? You haven't detected anything unusual? <BR>\nFargas: Unusual? No. The text is complete, the engravings too. Nine plus the title page, just as the catalogs state - just like the Kessler in Paris and the Telfer in New York. <BR>\nCorso: It isn't the Telfer anymore. Telfer killed himself, but he sold his copy to Balkan first. <BR>\nFargas: Balkan... If he sets his heart on a book, no price is too high. It's strange he should have sent you here, if he already... (breaks off as something has just occurred to him. He points to Corso's bag) You have it with you? May I see it? (Corso gets the book, and they go over to a table. Fargas places the two copies side by side, bends over them) Superb, beautiful, identical. Two of the only three that escaped the flames, reunited for the first time in over three centuries. (he turns the pages of each book, caressing the yellowing paper with his fingertips) Look at this imperfection. In the fourth line here - the damaged &quot;S&quot;. The same type, the same impression. (turns both copies of 'The Nine Gates' over to reveal their backboards.) You see? If it weren't for this slight discoloration on the back of my copy, one couldn't tell them apart. <BR>\nCorso: If it's all right with you, I'd like to stay awhile and study them in detail. <BR>\nFargas: (eyes him keenly): What are you looking for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I wish I knew. <BR>\nFargas: (looks suddenly grave) Some books are dangerous. Not to be opened with impunity. <BR>\nCorso: Very true. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Drawing Room. Evening. A fire burns on the hearth. Fargas is seated at a window, practicing the violin. He repeats the same short piece over and over again, occasionally pausing to take a sip of brandy. Corso is sitting at a table with both copies of 'The Nine Gates' open in front of him at the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares the two copies with the aid of his magnifying glass. They look identical. He turns over several pages in each book until he comes to the hermit with the keys, dog and lanter. He compares the two copies. Again, no apparent difference. He proceeds to a third engraving: a wayfarer approaching a bridge with two gate towers and an angelic archer in the clouds overhead. Another seemingly identical pair. Then he stops short and returns to the second engraving. it looks the same, but then he spots it: in Balkan's copy the keys are in the \nHermit's right hand, in Fargas' copy, they’re in his left. Fascinated by this discovery, he peers closely at each signature in turn. Balkan's reads 'AT', Fargas' ... 'LF'. Corso turns to an engraving of a jester outside a maze with two entrances. Comparison of the two copies reveals that in Fargas' copy one of the doorways is open; in Balkan's it's bricked up. The signatures, too, vary: 'AT' in one, 'LF' in the other. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (excitedly, under his breath): Now we're getting somewhere <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>An old-fashioned telephone bell starts ringing somewhere in the house. Corso looks up. Fargas doesn't hear the bell immediately. He plays on for a bar or two, then pauses and listens while the telephone continues to ring. He gets to his feet. He puts the violin down and limps out. Corso's open notebook now displays a chart consisting of two horizontal rows of nine boxes. One row is marked 'BALKAN', the other 'FARGAS'. He is busy filling in the boxes with either 'AT' or 'LF'. Fargas reappears. He gives Corso a friendly nod, returns to the window and launches into the same old piece on his violin. Corso has now filled in all the boxes. He studies them for a moment, then circles all the 'LF's in red ink. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Outside. Corso exits and shuts the gate. His breath is visible as steam in the chilly night air. After a last backward look at the statue-bordered driveway and the neglected garden, he turns up his overcoat collar, settles his bag on his shoulder, and sets off down the road toward the lights of Sintra, which are visible in the distance. His footsteps re-echo from the wall that bounds the Fargas property. He hasn't gone far when two headlights snap on behind him. Simultaneously, the car starts up and takes off with a squeal of tires. Corso spins around. He stands there transfixed for a moment, then dodges behind a projecting buttress as the car hurtles past, missing him by a hair. The car, a big dark sedan, skids to a halt some twenty yards away. The driver' s door opens and a tall man gets out. He momentarily hesitates when he sees Corso still on his feet. Just then we hear a motor \nvehicle - a noisy one - rounding the next bend. The tall man is captured by a beam of light. Corso has seen him before: it's the mustache. The man dives back into the car and takes off fast. Corso, trembling with shock, watches the tail lights recede and disappear. The sound of the approaching vehicle increases in volume. Corso turns to stare at it. Wobbling unsteadily along the road comes a lone peasant astride a ramshackle motorbike with a blown exhaust. The peasant honks as he goes by. Corso retrieves his bag from the roadside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso enters a small hotel, collects his key from the reception desk and sets off in the direction of the elevator. Visible in the background is the hotel lounge. Two elderly female tourists, are quietly conversing at one table while an overweight German couple sip cocktails. Corso, idly scanning the lounge as he makes for the elevator, stops short: a pair of legs in jeans and white sneakers are jutting from an inglenook fireplace in the far corner. He goes over to investigate. The girl is snuggled up in an armchair with a book on her lap. He hesitates for a moment. She looks up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hi. You didn't say you were bound for Sintra. <BR>\nGirl: Neither did you. <BR>\nCorso: What are you doing here? <BR>\nGirl: Reading. <BR>\nCorso: I can see that. <BR>\nGirl: And bumping into people unexpectedly. <BR>\nCorso: Unexpectedly is right. <BR>\nGirl: Are you on a business trip? (indicates his shoulder bag) Is that why you always carry that thing around? <BR>\nCorso: (doesn't answer, adjusts his glasses. He looks at the book she has. She hands it to him. We see the title: 'The Devil in Love' by Jacques Cazotte) You like Gothic novels? <BR>\nGirl: I like books. I never travel without one. <BR>\nCorso: Been traveling long? <BR>\nGirl: Ages. <BR>\nCorso: (eyes her, intrigued) You said you were a student? <BR>\nGirl: Did I? (shrugs) So I am. In a way. <BR>\nHotel Porter: (appears at Corso’s elbow) Excuse me, senor. Phone call. <BR>\nCorso: (surprised): For me? Are you sure? <BR>\nHotel Porter: Si, senor. (he leaves.) <BR>\nCorso: (turns back to the girl) Well, sorry I disturbed you. (hands back the book and turns to go. Corso goes to the hotel phone and picks up the receiver with a puzzled frown) Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (startled): Balkan? How did you find me? <BR>\nBalkan: Made any progress? <BR>\nCorso: Progress? You could call it that. <BR>\nBalkan: Well? <BR>\nCorso: I've examined the Fargas copy. It's authentic. At least it looks that way. Like yours. But there are discrepancies. <BR>\nBalkan: Discrepancies? <BR>\nCorso: In the engravings. Like keys in different hands, doorways open in one copy and bricked up in the other. <BR>\nBalkan: I see. <BR>\nCorso: And there's another thing. <BR>\nBalkan: Yes? <BR>\nCorso: The ones that differ are ail signed 'LF'. Seems like some kind of riddle. ( A long pause) Are you still there? Where are you, anyway? <BR>\nBalkan: I think you'd better get it for me. <BR>\nCorso: The old man wouldn't sell it to save his life - he said as much. (Another long pause) Balkan? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A click, and the line goes dead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso’s hotel room. Corso’s lying fast asleep on his back in bed, one limp arm trailing over the edge. A knock at the door. He grunts and props himself on one elbow. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (sleepily): Just a minute. (He rolls out of bed and wraps the bedspread around his waist. Then he opens the door and stands there, a tousled figure with Liana's teeth marks clearly visible on his chest. The girl stands outside his door. <BR>\nGirl: You left your phone off the hook. <BR>\nCorso: Jesus... (peers blearily at his watch): What time is it? <BR>\nGirl: Early, but you have to go. <BR>\nCorso: (bewildered): Go where, for God's sake? <BR>\nGirl: The Fargas place. <BR>\nCorso: Fargas? I already saw Fargas. <BR>\nGirl: I think you should see him again. <BR>\nCorso: What is this, a practical joke? Who the hell are you? What do you know about Fargas? <BR>\nGirl: Better get dressed. I'll wait for you downstairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Fargas Driveway. Corso and the girl walk in silence up the driveway. He eyes her, mystified, as she strides briskly alongside him. Corso goes up to the front door and yanks at the bellpull. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Don't bother. He isn't there. <BR>\nCorso: (sarcastically): Really. So where is he? <BR>\nGirl: Over there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She points in the direction of the ornamental pond. Corso stares at her, then walks over to it and freezes: Victor Fargas’ corpse is floating face up among the dead leaves and lily pads. An empty brandy bottle is floating alongside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (mutters): God Almighty! <BR>\nGirl: (Ignoring her, Corso tries the door handle, but it's bolted) You want to get inside? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso nods, too shocked to trade words with her. She looks up at the facade. Then, with surprising agility, she shimmies up a drainpipe beside the door and climbs onto the balcony above it. One of the French windows is broken. She reaches inside, releases the catch, and disappears from view. Corso waits, casting occasional glances at the ornamental pond and its occupant. There's the rattle of a bolt being withdrawn, and the girl opens the front door from the inside. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Wait here. (he enters the house and reaches the drawing room. His foot crunches on something as he crosses it on his way to the rug on which the occult books were stacked: it's the remains of one of Fargas' treasured brandy glasses. He pauses long enough to identify it, then walks on. The books are lying scattered across the rug: no sign of 'The Nine Gates') Shit! Shit, SHIT!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He looks around helplessly. Then he sees it: the last of the fire is still smoldering on the hearth, and lying open among the ashes, charred around the edges, is Fargas' 'Nine Gates'. He picks up,the mutilated volume, looks at it for a moment, shaking his head, and stows it in his canvas bag and emerges from the house. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Well, did you find it? <BR>\nCorso: You know too damned much. More than I do. Why do you keep following me around? What are you, a groupie or something? IRS, CIA, Interpol? Who are you working for? <BR>\nGirl: You're wasting time, asking all these questions. We'd better get out of here. There's a flight from Lisbon to Paris at noon. We should just make it. <BR>\nCorso: What's with the 'we'? <BR>\nGirl: There are two of us, aren't there? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Airliner cabin. The girl is drowsing with her head on Corso's shoulder. He looks down at her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Somebody's playing a game with me. <BR>\nGirl: (drowsily): Of course. You're a part of it. <BR>\nCorso: What exactly happened back there? <BR>\nGirl: Fargas caught someone stealing, I guess. <BR>\nCorso: And what do you guess happened to him? <BR>\nGirl: He drowned. <BR>\nCorso: With a little help from who? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs): He's dead. Who cares? <BR>\nCorso: I care. I could wind up the same way. <BR>\nGirl: Not with me around to take care of you. <BR>\nCorso: I see. You're my guardian angel. <BR>\nGirl: Something like that. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She removes her head from his shoulder, turns away, and snuggles up against the window instead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Airport. Corso makes his way across the bustling arrivals hall. The girl, is trailing along in his wake. He glances back at her occasionally. Corso takes out his US passport in readiness to show it. He looks around for the girl, but there's no sign of her. A taxi drops him off in front of a modest but respectable three-star hotel. He hands some money through the driver's window and heads for the entrance. He walks up to the reception desk, which is presided over by a desk clerk (Gruber). <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hello, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, acknowledges Corso’s presence with a curt nod of the head) Welcome, Mr. Corso. Delighted to see you again. (consults his computer screen) We don't have any vacancies, but I'm sure I'll be able to organize something. <BR>\nCorso: Thank you, Gruber. (discreetly, he slides a 100 franc bill across the desk. Gruber makes it vanish and smiles) <BR>\nGruber: Thank you, sir. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Upstairs in his room, a bottle of Scotch and a glass on a small desk, along with Balkan's 'Nine Gates' and Fargas's charred copy. A cigarette is smoldering in the ashtray beside them. Corso is turning the pages of what remains of Fargas' copy. He pauses at a page of text bearing a distinctive ornamental capital, peers at the gutter, and detects that the page facing it has been torn out. He runs his finger along the rough edge. Then he opens Balkan's copy at the same place. What is missing from the charred copy is the engraving of the hermit with the keys, dog and lantern. He takes a swig of his Scotch and leans back with the cigarette between his lips, thinking hard. Then he glances at his watch and stands up. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, strides across the bridge toward the Left Bank. He walks up to the entrance of a tall, well-preserved old building overlooking the Seine. A grim-faced concierge is sits in her cubby-hole. She eyes him inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Concierge: Monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: The Kessler Foundation. <BR>\nShe jerks her head in the direction of an old-fashioned elevator like a gilded cage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Kessler Foundation. The secretary looks up at Corso with an inquiringly. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Dean Corso. I have an appointment with Baroness Kessler. <BR>\nSecretary: (consults her appointment book and her watch and rises) This way. (She walks ahead of him down a paneled corridor and stops outside a heavy wooden door.) You have thirty minutes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She knocks on the door and opens it to reveal a spacious room filled with luxuriant potted plants. Beside the window, a large desk is covered with papers and books, some of them open. Corso follows the secretary in. Baroness Kessler, an elegant little white-haired old lady with a scarf draped around her shoulders, turns her electric wheelchair to face him. She speaks with a pronounced German accent. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness Kessler: Mr. Corso? Come in. I've heard a great deal about you. (She approaches with her left hand extended. We see that her right arm has been amputated at the elbow.) <BR>\nCorso: Nothing good, I hope. (They shake hands) <BR>\nBaroness: (to the secretary) Merci, Simone. (to Corso) You hope right. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary exits, closing the door behind her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (dryly.) I'm reassured, Baroness. In my trade, to be spoken well of can be professionally disastrous. (He surveys the room. Visible through some open double doors on the right is a vast library. He focuses on it. The Baroness follows the direction of his gaze.) <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, there it is: the Kessler Collection. <BR>\nCorso: Very impressive too. I know your catalog almost by heart. <BR>\nBaroness: Strange we haven't met before. Your name is a byword among dealers and collectors but I imagine you know your own reputation better than I do. <BR>\nCorso: It keeps the wolf from the door. (smiles to change the subject) Were you in the middle of something? <BR>\nBaroness: (beckons him over to the desk. He looks at the array of books and papers) My latest work: 'The Devil: History and Myth' - a kind of biography. It will be published early next year. <BR>\nCorso: Why the Devil? <BR>\nBaroness: (laughs) I saw him one day. I was fifteen years old, and I saw him as plain as I see you now: cutaway, top hat, cane. Very elegant, very handsome. It was love at first sight. <BR>\nCorso: (chuckles, doing his best to charm the old lady) Three hundred years ago they'd have burned you at the stake for saying that. <BR>\nBaroness: Three hundred years ago I wouldn't have said it. (They both laugh) Nor would I have made a million by writing about it. (abruptly businesslike) What is it you wish to discuss, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: (adjusts his glasses) There's a book in your collection I'd like to examine. (she smiles as if that were already obvious) It's 'The Book of the Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows'. <BR>\nBaroness: (unsurprised): The Nine Gates? An interesting work. Everyone's been asking about it lately. <BR>\nCorso: (stiffens almost imperceptibly): Really? <BR>\nBaroness: (eyes him for a moment) Come with me. (Swinging her wheelchair around, she steers it toward the double doors and into the library beyond them. Corso follows) You really believe in the Devil, Baroness? <BR>\nBaroness: Enough to devote my life and my library to him, not to mention many years of work. Don't you? <BR>\nCorso: Everyone's been asking me that lately. <BR>\nBaroness: (looks mildly amused. She sends her wheelchair gliding over to a bookshelf and removes the third copy of 'The Nine Gates') This book demands a certain amount of faith. <BR>\nCorso: My faith is in short supply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They both go over to a small table in the centre of the room. The Baroness opens the book and turns a few pages. There are handwritten slips of paper inserted throughout.) <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: I know this book extremely well. I studied it for years. <BR>\nCorso: Do you have any doubts about its authenticity? <BR>\nBaroness: (glances at him suspiciously) None whatever. <BR>\nCorso: You're sure? <BR>\nBaroness: My knowledge of this book is profound. I wrote a biography of its author. <BR>\nCorso: Aristide Torchia? <BR>\nBaroness: A courageous man. He died for the sake of this very book in 1623. He had spent many years in Prague, a centre of the occult. While there he studied the black arts and acquired a copy of the dread 'Delomelanicon'. This is his adaptation of that work, which was written by Lucifer himself. After they burned him at the stake, a secret society was founded to perpetuate its memory and preserve its secrets: the Brotherhood. <BR>\nCorso: The Brotherhood? <BR>\nBaroness: Yes, a kind of witches' coven. For centuries they have met to read from this book and worship the Prince of Darkness. Today they've degenerated into a social club for bored millionaires. I myself belonged to the Brotherhood many years ago, but time is too precious at my age. I told them to go to the Devil. She laughs at her own little joke. <BR>\nCorso: They still meet? <BR>\nBaroness: Every year. <BR>\nCorso: And you say they read from this book? <BR>\nBaroness: No, I took mine back when Liana Telfer acquired the one in Toledo. Victor Fargas is an unbeliever - he has always refused to participate, so naturally they use the Telfer copy. Not that it has ever worked. (pause) They never do, to be honest. <BR>\nCorso: So Andrew Telfer never took part? <BR>\nBaroness: Never. He knew nothing of these activities until that creature Liana de Saint-Damien married him for money. She used his dollars to buy the book and renovate her chateau. An old and aristocratic family, the Saint-Damiens, but penniless. They have dabbled in witchcraft for hundreds of years. <BR>\nCorso: Telfer hanged himself last week. <BR>\nBaroness: (A brief silence. She looks stunned for a moment) I see. And Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: He was alive the last time we spoke. <BR>\nBaroness: When was that? <BR>\nCorso: Two days ago. <BR>\nBaroness: (digests this, looks at him keenly) Who exactly are you working for, Mr. Corso? <BR>\nCorso: My client's name is irrelevant, Baroness. I'm simply trying to authenticate his copy - the one Telfer sold him before he died. <BR>\nBaroness: (catches on): How stupid of me! I should have guessed! (Angry now, she swings her wheelchair around to face him full on) You've outstayed your welcome, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I was hoping to examine your copy in detail. <BR>\nBaroness: Certainly not. Tell your client, who can only be Boris Balkan, to come and examine it himself - if he dares. Tell him not to send any more wolves in sheeps' clothing. And now, kindly leave. (she points to the door with her stump. Her wheelchair hums as she shepherds him out through the office. He opens the door to the corridor) You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Mr. Corso. Get out before it's too late. <BR>\nCorso: I'm afraid it already is, Baroness. <BR>\nBaroness: Some books are dangerous, and this is one. <BR>\nCorso: (smiles wryly): So people keep telling me. Thanks for your time. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Baroness watches him exit. He's hardly out the door when she picks up the phone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the corridor. The secretary gives him a curt nod as he passes. He emerges from the building. As he does, he catches sight of the mustache man leaning against the parapet of the riverside promenade across the way. The man stiffens and straightens up. Corso, with one eye on him, starts walking. The man starts walking too, keeps level with him on the other side of the street. Corso comes to a cafe. For want of a better idea, he goes inside, sits down at a table, orders a drink. Looking out the cafe window, he sees the man leaning against the parapet in his former pose, watching. The man lights a small cigar without taking his eyes off Corso. Corso is still sitting at his table, which now has several checks on it. The lights come on, blotting out his view of the street through the window. All he can now see is a reflection of the cafe's interior, including his own \nseated figure. He drums his fingers on the table, glances at his watch, and deliberates. He adds up his check and puts some money on the table. Then, settling his bag on his shoulder, he makes for the door. He peers across the street, sees no sign of the man, and exits. Still no sign of the man. He sets off along the sidewalk, glancing across the street as he does so. Then, over his shoulder, he catches sight of a car with dipped headlights - a dark-colored sedan - crawling along the curb some twenty yards behind him. On impulse, he darts across the street to the riverside promenade and dashes down the flight of steps that leads to the quay. The car's headlights blaze up. It accelerates, tires squealing, and swerves across the one-way street in pursuit. Corso races down the steps, hears the car skid to a halt, and sprints off along the quay. A couple of hundred yards along the quay he \nruns out of steam and slows, turns to look: no sign of the man, no sound of pursuing footsteps. Relieved but still wary, he leans against the embankment wall to catch his breath and light a cigarette. Then, with a final backward look, he walks on to the next flight of steps. He's halfway up them when the man, a tall, menacing figure, appears at the top. He turns to flee, but the man is too quick for him. He darts down the steps and Corso misses the last couple of steps and lands face down on the quayside. The man is on him in a flash. He bends down and yanks the strap of the bag off his shoulder. Corso resists, hugs the bag protectively, gets kicked in the stomach, doubles up and hangs on for dear life. As he lies there with the man kicking him repeatedly and tugging at the strap, he sees, silhouetted against the yellowish, misty glow of the nearest streetlight, a ghostly figure flying \ndown the steps: It's the girl, with her duffel coat streaming out behind her like Superman's cape. The man has finally gotten the bag away from Corso. Just as he straightens up and turns to go, the girl performs a flying leap and kicks him. He grunts and goes sprawling on his back, dropping the bag. The girl is stooping to retrieve the bag when the man scrambles to his feet and lunges at her. He throws a punch at her head. Although she blocks most of its force he catches her a glancing blow on the nose. She reacts like lightning, kicks him in the groin. He yelps and goes into a crouch. Then, with a spin kick, she floors him once more. He lies there, spitting blood and glaring up at her. She seems to have knocked the fight out of him at last. With one wary eye on the man, the girl picks up the shoulder bag and turns to Corso who's struggling to his feet. Beyond her, he sees the man get up and make for the steps. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Hey, he's getting away! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl merely turns to look. Corso sets off after the man, who has already started up the steps, and just manages to grab one of his legs. The man kicks himself free and continues up the steps with Corso clumsily following a few feet behind. Waiting at the top of the steps, engine idling and passenger door open, is the dark sedan, a Mercedes. Corso reaches street level in time to catch a glimpse of the glamorous blonde behind the wheel: it's Liana Telfer. The man jumps in and slams the door. The car burns rubber as it accelerates away. The girl calmly climbs the last few steps with Corso, bag in one hand and his glasses in the other. She hands them to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're broken. You should be more careful. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso , leaning back against the promenade wall and breathing heavily, stares at her with his mouth open. He slides down the wall and subsides into a sitting position on the sidewalk. One lens of his glasses cracked, is still sitting on the sidewalk with his back against the wall. The girl is sitting beside him. He produces a crumpled cigarette and lights it. It takes him quite a while, his hands are shaking so badly. The girl's nose is bleeding. She wipes it on her sleeve. Corso produces a handkerchief as crumpled as his cigarette and hands it to her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: When did you learn all that? <BR>\nGirl: What? <BR>\nCorso: (aims a feeble kick in the air) That stuff. <BR>\nGirl: (casually): Oh, ages ago. <BR>\nCorso: No shit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She gets up and holds out her hand. He takes it and rises with an effort. He flicks his cigarette over the parapet. They walk off along the promenade side by side and head for the hotel. Corso goes up to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: I need a favor, Gruber. <BR>\nGruber: (looks up, registers his broken glasses and disheveled condition and the girl is standing in the background) Certainly, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Liana Telfer, maiden name Saint-Damien. Thirtyish, blond, dishy. Probably accompanied by a big man with a Clark Gable mustache. (Gruber make some notes on a pad) I want to know if they're staying at some hotel here in Paris. <BR>\nGruber: It could take a little time. <BR>\nCorso: Of course. Start with the five-stars. They're the best bet. <BR>\nGruber: Very good, sir. (pause) Are you feeling all right? <BR>\nCorso: I've felt better. Thanks, Gruber. Let me know if you locate them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber watches Corso and the girl walk to the elevators. In his bedroom, Corso is filling a plastic laundry bag with ice from a tray in the minibar. The girl is sitting on the bed with her head tilted back and a bloodstained handkerchief to her nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, hold this against your neck and lie back. (sits down beside her and hands her the ice pack. She applies it to the nape of her neck, lies back and shuts her eyes) You were great down there by the river. I haven't really thanked you. (She opens her eyes and smiles at him) Like to tell me what's going on? <BR>\nGirl: (shrugs faintly): Someone's after your book. <BR>\nCorso: They didn't have to kill Fargas to get it. They didn't have to mutilate his copy, either. They tore out the engravings and ditched the rest. There's got to be more to it than that. <BR>\nGirl: (her nose has stopped bleeding) Do you believe in the Devil, Corso? <BR>\nCorso: I'm being paid to. Do you? <BR>\nGirl: (smiles): I'm a bit of a devil myself... <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She reaches up, removes his glasses, and puts them on the bedside table. Corso eyes her uncertainly. Her nose starts to bleed again. She puts her fingertips to it and inspects the blood on them. Very deliberately, she dabbles them in the blood some more, reaches up, and gently draws four vertical lines down his face from his forehead to his mouth, where her fingertips linger. Corso's face approaches hers. They melt into a passionate kiss, then she pushes him away, rolls him over on his back, unbuttons his shirt, and rests her palms on his chest. Playfully, she runs her forefinger over the imprint of Liana's teeth. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (smiles mischievously): Would you know a devil if you saw one? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel lobby. Day. Corso, tieless and unshaven, descends the stairs to the lobby carrying his beg. The junior desk clerk, a spotty youth, is dozing on a chair behind the reception desk. Corso goes over and raps on the desk. The junior desk clerk springs to his feet like. Corso jerks his chin at the door behind him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Do you have a photocopier back there? <BR>\nClerk: Er, yes, monsieur. <BR>\nCorso: May I use it? Clerk: Are you a guest, monsieur? <BR>\nCorso: You mean I don't look like one? <BR>\nClerk: Of course, monsieur. This way, monsieur. (He lifts a flap and shows Corso into the back office) <BR>\nCorso: Room 35. And get them to send up breakfast for two. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso deposits his bag beside the photocopier and takes out Balkan's 'Nine Gates'. He opens it at the first engraving – the knight with a finger to his lips - and inverts it. Positioning it on the photocopier, he shuts the flap and presses the start button. The photocopy glides out into the tray. He goes back to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl is lying sprawled among the rumpled sheets, fast asleep. Her clothes are draped over a chair with her backpack alongside. Stealthily, Corso takes Balkan's 'Nine Gates' from his bag and places it behind the minibar, then goes into the bathroom. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, with his hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by a floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, monsieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty and the girl's clothes and backpack have disappeared. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne sais pas, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. He steps back into the bedroom and shuts the door. He stands there for a moment, frowning at the empty bed. Then, abruptly, he dashes over to the minibar and looks behind it. His fears are groundless: 'The Nine Gates' is still there. Just then the phone rings. He picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear on the clean-shaven side of his face. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Yes? <BR>\nBalkan: (Voice Over) Come down. I'm in the cafe across the street. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, wearing his crumpled overcoat and carrying his bag, emerges from the hotel and crosses the street to the cafe opposite. He enters and looks around, catches sight of Balkan's sleek gray head at a table in the corner. He goes over to him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You sure as hell get around. (he sits down with the shoulder bag between his feet. A waiter appears at his elbow) Un caf‚ noir, s'il vous plait. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter nods and withdraws. Balkan studies Corso's face through his glasses, notes the glasses with the cracked lens. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Problems? <BR>\nCorso: Yeah, like someone tried to total me a couple times. Aside from that, three people have died on me since I took this job. (thinks for a moment) Well, two. Telfer was dead already. <BR>\nBalkan: I don't follow you. <BR>\nCorso: It's simple enough. You give me 'The Nine Gates' and they start dropping like flies. I'm thinking of giving it back. <BR>\nBalkan: Who are you talking about? <BR>\nCorso: My pal Bernie Feldman, for one. <BR>\nBalkan: The book dealer? He's dead? <BR>\nCorso: Murdered. He was holding your book for me. Someone was after it. He wouldn't give it to them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A moment of silence. Then Balkan emits a chuckle. The chuckle becomes a guffaw, the guffaw gives way to peal after peal of uproarious laughter. He slaps his thighs and rocks back and forth, his face turns puce, his eyes fill with tears. His hilarity is so deafening that the cafe's other customers turn to stare. Corso, too, stares at Balkan as if he's gone crazy. Balkan's mirth gradually subsides. He removes his glasses and mops his eyes. Eventually, still chuckling. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Poor fellow. Very creditable of him. <BR>\nCorso: (refrains from commenting on this outburst) Then there's Fargas. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The waiter brings Corso's coffee. Balkan waits for him to put it on the table and leave. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What about Fargas? <BR>\nCorso: Dead too. <BR>\nBalkan: How do you know? <BR>\nCorso: I saw him - and his copy, or what was left of it. Someone had snatched the engravings and tried to burn the rest. <BR>\nBalkan: (stares at him for a moment) How tragic. What about the Kessler copy? <BR>\nCorso: The old woman says it's authentic, but I didn't get a chance to look at it closely. As soon as she guessed you were behind my visit she threw me out. You aren't her flavor of the month. <BR>\nBalkan: You must see her again. You must get me that copy – or examine it, at least. <BR>\nCorso: (derisively): Are you kidding? I'd have to be the Invisible Man. <BR>\nBalkan: (reaches into his black briefcase and produces a big manila envelope) Try this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes the envelope and looks at it. It's addressed to 'Baroness Friede Kessler'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Kessler Building Lobby. Day. Corso, canvas bag on shoulder as usual, hands the envelope to the secretary, who takes it and walks off down the corridor. A black and white photo fills the screen: it shows a young and beautiful Baroness Kessler flanked by two men in SS uniform. One of them is Heinrich Himmler. Baroness Kessler is scowling down at a wartime number of 'Signal', the Nazi propaganda magazine. It's lying open on her desk with Balkan's envelope beside it. The secretary shows Corso in. The baroness addresses her crisply. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Merci, Simone. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The secretary nods and exits. Fixing Corso with a cold, challenging stare, Baroness Kessler feeds the magazine into a shredder beside her desk. She no longer looks such a dear little old lady. In the Kessler library, Corso is seated at a table on which reposes the Kessler copy of 'The Nine Gates'. Beside it lies his notebook and the photocopies of Balkan's engravings. His shoulder bag is hanging on the chairback, his overcoat draped over it. He reaches into his pocket and produces a cigarette, takes out his lighter. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Baroness: Blackmail doesn't entitle you to smoke in my library, Mr. Corso. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stops short and looks back through the double doors into her office: she's seated behind her desk like a graven image, watching him intently. He reinserts the cigarette in its pack and pockets his lighter. Getting down to work, he opens 'The Nine Gates' and extracts one of the Baroness's handwritten slips, reads it to himself in a low voice. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: 'I will recognize your servants, my brethren, by the sign that adorns some part of their body, a scar or mark of your making...' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He replaces the slip. The Baroness cranes her body largely obscures her view of the table. Corso turns some pages and comes to the engraving of the knight with a finger to his lips. He compares it with the photocopy: the castle has three towers instead of four. He examines the margin of the engraving through his magnifying glass to ascertain the presence of something he already knows will be there: an 'LF'. He turns to the chart in his notebook, which has already acquired a third row of nine boxes. He writes 'Kessler' beside it and enters an ‘LF’ in the first box. The second engraving – the hermit with the keys - appears to be identical and the signature is 'AT'. An 'AT' goes down in the second box. The third engraving is different: the angelic archer has an arrow in his quiver, whereas the photocopy of Balkan' s counterpart does not. This one, too, is signed 'LF'. Corso enters an 'LF' \nin the third box. Camera moves in until the chart fills the screen. A long shot of Corso from behind. He leans back and stretches, glances in the direction of the office: Baroness Kessler is no longer at her desk. Absolute silence reigns. He resumes work, turns to the ninth engraving: the naked woman riding the dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. There's a loud thud, and the engraving sways and blurs. The screen goes black. Fade back in. An electrical hum, punctuated by a strange, rhythmical series of clicks and thuds: click-thud, click-thud, click-thud. Corso, sitting slumped over the table, comes to. He groans and laboriously straightens up, feels his head and winces. The strange sound impinges on his consciousness: he looks around vaguely for its source and discovers it: Baroness Kessler's wheelchair has been left in forward gear. Complete with occupant, it's colliding \nagain and again with the wall beneath a window on the other side of the room. Corso, who can just glimpse the top of the old lady's head from behind, sees it jerk forward at each impact. He struggles to his feet. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Baroness? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>No answer. Unsteadily, he makes his way over to the wheelchair and swivels it around, starts back with a muffled exclamation. Baroness Kessler has been strangled with her Hermes scarf: her cheeks are blue, her eyes and tongue are protruding. Unobstructed, the laden wheelchair takes off across the library and heads for the double doors, which are now closed. It runs into them full tilt, bursts them open, and continues on its way. Instantly, smoke comes billowing into the library, accompanied by a crackle of flames. The wheelchair disappears into the murk. Corso wildly scans the table for Baroness Kessler's 'Nine Gates', but it's gone. Snatching up his notebook and abandoning his shoulder bag and overcoat, he makes for the office at a run. The office is thick with smoke and illumined by a fiery glow. Corso pauses in the doorway, shielding his face from the heat with one hand, and surveys \nthe scene. The Baroness and her wheelchair have come to rest in the midst of a bonfire of books and papers. Corso can just make out her copy of 'The Nine Gates' on top. The flames are already engulfing it. Corso takes a last look, then dashes through the smoke to the door and exits. With smoke billowing after him, Corso dashes along the corridor, through the lobby, which is deserted, and out onto the landing. On the landing Corso bumps into the secretary, who has just emerged from the elevator. She gives a little shriek and drops a paper bag. Half a dozen oranges go bouncing ahead of Corso as he races down the stairs. In the hallway he almost upends the concierge, who's wielding a broom in her curlers. Leaping aside with a startled yell, she speeds him on his way with some choice words, then peers up the stairwell: the upper stories are already wreathed in smoke, and tenants have come \nout onto the landings. The secretary comes pelting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Outside, Corso douses his head in the basin of a fountain, shakes off the drips and massages his face. Then he leans against the basin and looks around. He's all alone in the little square. He takes out a crumpled cigarette and inserts it between his lips with dripping fingers, gropes for his lighter, and vainly tries to light it. Wearily, he removes the cigarette from his lips and tosses it away. All at once, he spots a huge Great Dane watching him from the mouth of an alleyway. Corso and the Great Dane stare at each other. Then the silence is broken by a fire engine's siren, faint at first but growing louder. He reaches an intersection and looks around the corner. The Kessler building is ablaze. Tongues of flame and clouds of smoke are issuing from the windows of the upper stories. \nFire engines and squad cars are drawn up outside, firemen are directing their hoses onto the flames, cordoning off the street and keeping curious spectators away. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Corso, looking wrung out, crosses the street and makes for the hotel entrance. He's just going through the revolving doors into the lobby when the girl appears on the inside. Hooking her arm through his, she steers him around and back outside again in one continuous movement. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (mutters): Just keep going. (still firmly gripping his arm, she takes him out onto the Sidewalk) <BR>\nCorso: (baffled): What are you playing at? <BR>\nGirl: See those men talking with your friend Gruber? (Corso turns to look. Inside the lobby, two men in trenchcoats are standing at the reception desk in conversation with Gruber) Police. <BR>\nCorso: (at that moment, Gruber looks past them at Corso. He briefly locks eyes with him but shows no sign of recognition) Shit. (He turns and walks off with her at his side. He goes to enter a glass phone booth) <BR>\nGirl: You look better without that old bag and coat of yours. They didn't do anything for you. <BR>\nCorso: (shuts the door in her face. He picks up the receiver, inserts a coin, punches out a number. The girl pulls a funny face at him through the glass. Corso's only response is to turn away and cup his hand around the receiver. Into the phone) Gruber? It's me, Corso. Can you talk? <BR>\nGruber: No, sir. <BR>\nCorso: But you can listen? <BR>\nGruber: Certainly, sir. <BR>\nCorso: I'd like you to do something for me. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Gruber enters a restaurant/bar crowded with lunchtime customers. He spots Corso at the far end of the bar with the girl beside him. She's sucking up some colorful beverage through a straw. Gruber acknowledges her presence with a formal nod. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: You don't have it? <BR>\nGruber: There was nothing in the place you described, sir. I'm sorry. <BR>\nCorso: Goddamit! (He turns to the girl) I suppose you didn't take it? <BR>\nGirl: You still don't trust me, do you? <BR>\nGruber: (clears his throat) I think I may have the answer, sir. Someone visited your room earlier on, while my young colleague was on duty: your wife. <BR>\nCorso: My wife? I don't have any wife. <BR>\nGruber: That's what I told him. <BR>\nCorso: Could he describe her? <BR>\nGruber: (nods): Thirtyish, blond, dishy. <BR>\nCorso: Liana... <BR>\nGruber: Which reminds me, sir: the lady and gentleman you mentioned - they're staying at the Hotel Crillon, Suite 236-238. <BR>\nCorso: Good for you, Gruber. Thanks a lot. <BR>\nGruber: Always glad to be of service, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: I owe you one for those cops, too. <BR>\nGruber: Ah yes, sir. Interpol. <BR>\nCorso: Interpol! What exactly did they want? <BR>\nGruber: They expressed an interest in your whereabouts. <BR>\nCorso: And? What did you tell them? <BR>\nGruber: That you were out. <BR>\nCorso: Anything else? <BR>\nGruber: They asked if I knew whether you had recently visited Portugal. <BR>\nCorso: And? <BR>\nGruber: I said that our guests do not make a habit of providing us with their itineraries. <BR>\nCorso: (extracts a 500 franc bill from his billfold and slips it into Gruber's hand. Gruber acknowledges this with a gracious inclination of the head) For what it's worth, Gruber, I don't know what they think I've done, but I'm innocent. <BR>\nGruber: (impassively): Naturally, Mr. Corso. All our guests are. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Hotel Crillon, Forecourt. Day. A cab drives up to the entrance. The doorman opens the door, Corso and the girl get out. Corso turns to pay the cabby, the doorman twitches an eyebrow at the girls's jeans and sneakers. Corso and the girl enter the lobby which is bustling with activity. They stand aside as an elevator door opens and some camera-toting tourists emerge. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: What'll you do when you see them? <BR>\nCorso: (dryly): Hide behind you, probably. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They enter the elevator. The doors glide shut. They walk down the corridor, checking numbers as they go. They've almost reached the door of Suite 236-238 when it opens abruptly. They jump back in alarm. A bellhop emerges backside first, towing a baggage cart laden with suitcases. Corso and the girl hide in a passage a few feet to their rear as the bellhop sets off down the corridor in the opposite direction, leaving the door open. Corso pads silently up to the door and enters with the girl at his heels. A deserted sitting room with an old 'Herald Tribune' lying abandoned on the floor and two dirty coffee cups on the table. The bedroom door is ajar. The girl stands watching as Corso tiptoes over pushes it open. The room is empty, the bed unmade. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Downstairs, quick! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They use the stairs for speed's sake. Panting, they halt at the foot of the last flight and scan the spacious but crowded lobby. It's a moment before they catch sight of the man standing at the cashier's desk with Liana beside him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: C'mon. Better grab a cab or we'll lose them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They thread their way across the lobby and make for the exit unobserved. Corso and the girl have stationed themselves at the cab rank on the island. Corso sees a cab approaching amid the stream of traffic and tries to flag it down, but it's taken. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Damn! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The doorman hands Liana into the passenger seat of the Mercedes sedan while the man supervises the bellhop as he stows their baggage in the trunk. A Rolls pulls up behind the Mercedes, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini driven by a smartly dressed, mustachioed Arab with a blond bombshell beside him. The Arab gets out, leaving his keys in the ignition. Nonchalantly signaling to the doorman to park his car, he disappears into the hotel with the blond in tow. The doorman acknowledges his gesture before smilingly accepting a tip from the man, who gets in behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: They're going! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso sights another cab approaching and cavorts into the roadway, waving his arms like a madman. The cab honks and swerves to avoid him, obstructing some other vehicles, which honk in their turn. It's empty. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Bastard! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Frustrated yet again, beyond him, we see the Mercedes drive off. With a screech of tires, the yellow Lamborghini takes off fast in reverse. Skirting the island, it backs out into the oncoming traffic. Then, slammed into first, it skids to a halt beside the curb at Corso's elbow. The passenger door opens, the girl cranes over and looks up at him from behind the wheel. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Coming? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso stares at her for an instant, then jumps in. The Lamborghini sets off after the Mercedes, which is not far ahead. It threads its way into the stream of traffic, pursued for a few yards along the sidewalk by the wildly gesticulating doorman. The girl is expertly piloting the Lamborghini through heavy traffic. The Mercedes can be seen a few cars ahead. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Couldn't you have pinched something a bit less conspicuous? <BR>\nGirl: Don't be so picky. Most people would give their eyeteeth for a ride in this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso surveys the car's luxurious interior, opens the glove compartment, removes the contents and inspects them: some CDs, the car papers, a pair of expensive wrap-around sunglasses, an Arab keffiyeh. Visible through the windshield, the Mercedes is cruising along several hundred yards ahead of the Lamborghini. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: We can't sit on their tail forever. They're bound to smell a rat. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A long shot of the Lamborghini accelerating to draw level with the Mercedes. The Man, with Liana at his elbow, glances sideways. The Man’s point of view: the Lamborghini with a figure in shades and a keffiyeh at the wheel. It's the girl. She looks straight ahead as she passes. No sign of Corso. Corso, who has been hiding below door level, sits up. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he settles back in his seat and lights a cigarette, covertly eyeing the girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: How do I look? <BR>\nCorso: You look like a million. A million barrels of oil. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The Lamborghini passes an exit. The girl, who has discarded the keffiyeh and shades, is driving with one eye on the rearview mirror. The Mercedes indicates right, slows, and turns off at the exit. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Sit tight! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl pulls over onto the shoulder and stands on the brakes. Throwing the car into reverse almost before it's stationary, she hurtles backward along the shoulder. A couple of cars flash their headlights and blare as the Lamborghini reaches the exit and skids to a halt, narrowly missing a large truck that has beaten it to the exit. The Lamborghini crawls along behind the truck as it grinds up the single-lane exit road. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (impatiently): C'mon, c'mon! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl blasts the truck with her horn and flashes her headlights. The truck's only response is to slow still further before pulling up at a T-junction. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: What in hell's the matter with him? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Clearly visible in the glare of the Lamborghini's headlights, an arm emerges from the truck's cab window and gives a prolonged, one-fingered salute. The arm disappears, the truck moves off at last and turns left across the bridge spanning the freeway. The Mercedes is nowhere in sight. The Lamborghini moves up to the T-junction and stands there, engine purring. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Take your pick. <BR>\nCorso: No, you. You know everything. <BR>\nGirl: If you say so. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She turns off right. It’s dark now, and the Lamborghini is speeding along an avenue of poplar trees. No sign of the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: We lost them. <BR>\nCorso: Not at this speed. They must have gone the other way. <BR>\nGirl: You mean I don't know everything after all? <BR>\nCorso: Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They pass a small intersection on the right. The girl backs into it but doesn't complete the maneuver. Something catches her eye. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Thirtyish, blond, dishy - what was her name again? <BR>\nCorso: Telfer. Liana Telfer. <BR>\nGirl: No, her maiden name. <BR>\nCorso: Saint-Damien. <BR>\nGirl: Look. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso’s point of view. The Lamborghini's headlights have illuminated a signpost. One of the signs reads: 'ST.-DAMIEN 2 Km.' It points the way they were going. The girl turns out into the road and drives on in the original direction. The girl slows as they pass the 'ST.-DAMIEN' sign at the entrance to the village itself. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: Should we drive straight in? <BR>\nCorso: In this thing? We might as well hang a bell around our necks. Park here. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl walk gingerly down the old village street. A faint glow emanates from a few windows in the time-worn houses, but the street itself is utterly deserted. They pause at the mouth of a small, equally deserted square, church on one end, village stores shuttered and in darkness, two or three parked cars, none of them the Mercedes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: So? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso looks around irresolutely, sees light coming from the basement window of a baker's shop. Side by side, Corso and the girl look down through the basement window. inside, a flour-smeared baker is deftly preparing a tray of croissants for the oven. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Monsieur? <BR>\nBaker: (looks up, wipes his hands on his smock, and walks over to the window.) M'sieur? <BR>\nCorso: Nous cherchons la maison de Madame de Saint-Damien. <BR>\nBaker: Le chateau, vous voulez dire. <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl): Chateau! That's it - got to be. (to the baker) Ou il est, le chateau? <BR>\nBaker: (gestures): La route aprŠs ''‚gllse, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl is driving slowly along a country road flanked on one side by woods. A pair of ornate wrought-iron gates and a gatehouse loom up on the left. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Keep going. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>There's a light on in the gatehouse. They glimpse the gatekeeper leaning against his door, smoking, as they cruise past. The Lamborghini backs into the mouth of a farm track. The girl and Corso get out, cross the road, and strike off into the woods. Hugging the trees that border it on one side, Corso and the girl are making their way up a long, straight, graveled driveway. The lighted gatehouse is to their rear, the lights of the chateau can be seen ahead. Hearing the sound of a car behind them, they turn to see its headlights swing in through the gates. They quickly take cover in the trees and watch the car - a big limo - glide past, then emerge and walk on. They observe the chateau, a substantial 17th century mansion, from the edge of the trees. The forecourt, in which come 20 expensive-looking cars are parked, one of them the Mercedes, is illuminated by the the lights inside the \nbuilding. The limo has pulled up at the foot of the steps, and the occupants, a smartly dressed elderly couple, are being greeted by a tuxedoed butler while their suitcases are removed from the trunk and carried in after them by a manservant. Corso and the girl have worked their way around to the side of the chateau. One of the lighted windows gives them a view of the upper reaches of the chateau's great hall, with its minstrel gallery and lofty, vaulted ceiling. They climb on a stone bench for a better look. Inside, overlooked by an array of ancestral portraits, some 50 guests are inaudibly conversing in groups. Men and women alike are attired in long black robes resembling monks' habits, and all have silver pentacles suspended from their necks on silver chains. Their cowls are thrown back to reveal the heads and faces beneath. A motley assortment of people, most of them middle- or late middle-aged, one or two of oriental origin. No sign of Liana or the Man. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: See them anywhere? <BR>\nCorso: No. <BR>\nGirl: They aren't there. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso and the girl continue to make their way around the house, cautiously. Peering through a semi-basement window, they see two chefs chopping vegetables at a big kitchen table. They pause, at a loss, and look up at the house. Several of the second-floor windows are illuminated, and one of them has some creeper-covered trelliswork running up to its balcony. The girl, with Corso close behind her, has just reached the top of the trelliswork. She clambers over onto the balcony. Corso scales the last few fact, reaches for the balustrade, straddles it and joins her. Together, they peer through the French windows. With them, we see a bedroom decorated in a very feminine style. Two of Liana's suitcases are on the floor near the bed. A third, with her discarded clothes beside it, is lying open on the bed itself. Liana has stripped to her panties. They watch as she slips them off, goes to a \nwardrobe, and takes out a black robe and silver pentacle like the ones we saw downstairs. Pulling the robe over her head, she smooths it down, dons the pentacle, and inspects herself in a mirror in the corner of the room. Corso takes advantage of her preoccupation to try the French windows. They won't budge. He turns to the girl and shrugs, then raises his foot and kicks the glass in. Liana spins around with a terrified cry and stands there transfixed. Corso reaches inside, turns the knob, opens the French windows and steps into the room. The girl follows. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: You! <BR>\nCorso: Where is it? <BR>\nLiana: How dare you! <BR>\nCorso: That book isn't yours, Madame. 1 need it. <BR>\nLiana: Get out of here, both of you! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso goes over to the bed and empties the suitcase onto the floor. Among its contents is 'The Nine Gates'. Liana instinctively lunges for it, but the girl blocks her. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Careful, she bites! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He's stooping to retrieve the book when the door opens and the Man, robed and barefooted, stands framed in the doorway. Corso turns quickly with the book in his hand, The girl stiffens. Liana makes a dive for the bedside table and produces a chrome-plated automatic from the drawer, flips the safety catch. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: (to Corso and the girl) Don't move, either of you. (to the Man) Get the book, Bruno. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso takes a tentative step backward as Bruno approaches him with his left hand extended. He reluctantly surrenders the book. Bruno rewards him for his co-operation with a vicious right hook to the jaw. Corso goes down, losing his glasses yet again. Groggily, he crawls around in search of them. Bruno joins Liana, steering well clear of the girl. He hands her 'The Nine Gates' and carefully transfers the automatic from her hand to his. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana: Take them downstairs and lock them up. We'll deal with them later, there's no time now. <BR>\nBruno: (to Corso, Italian accent): Turn around. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso, who has scrambled to his feet, complies. Bruno applies the muzzle of the automatic to the nape of his neck. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) You. Go first. Any trouble, I blow his brains. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl makes for the door. Bruno prods Corso into motion. They exit. Liana stares after them for a moment, clasping 'The Nine Gates' to her chest. A long passage lined with more ancestral portraits. The ancient floorboards creek as the girl obediently walks ahead of Corso and Bruno, whose automatic is leveled at Corso's back. They reach the end of the passage. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Go left. Down the stairs. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>They descend a staircase to ground level. Another long passage confronts them, much like the first but floored with marble. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: Avanti, avanti! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>A door at the end leads into a stone-flagged passage with whitewashed walls. They make their way along it until they reach a heavy oak door. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Open it! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The girl does so to reveal a small landing and a flight of stone steps leading downward. She stops short: the steps have no guardrail and the cellar beneath is shrouded in darkness. Bruno prods Corso through the doorway until all three are on the landing, then throws a light switch. Bare bulbs shed little light on the steps but illuminate a large vaulted chamber below. It's the chateau's wine cellar: oak barrels and racks of bottles thick with dust and cobwebs are housed behind an iron grille with a door in it. The door is ajar, the key in the lock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Bruno: (to the girl) Move! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She sets off down the steps. Corso follows with Bruno at his heels. Halfway down, Corso pretends to stumble: he crouches and turns in a single movement. Bruno, following close behind, trips over him. Corso seizes his robe and yanks at it, helping him on his way. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (to the girl) Watch out! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She plasters herself against the wall to avoid Bruno’s somersaulting body. The automatic escapes from his hand and slithers across the flagstones as he comes to rest, with a sickening thud, at the foot of the steps. The girl follows him down and picks it up. Corso reaches the foot of the steps and rolls Bruno over on his back. He's out cold, with blood oozing from a broken nose. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (faintly admiring) I didn't know you had it in you. <BR>\nCorso: Another thing you didn't know? (He takes hold of Bruno's ankles and, with the girl’s assistance, hauls him through the grille into the inner cellar. He stares down at the man for a moment) Hey, give me a hand. I want his gear. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He starts to peel off Bruno’s robe, shuts the grille door, locks it, and tosses the key into a corner. They cautiously retrace their steps along the marble-floored passage. Corso is wearing Bruno's robe and pentacle over his clothes with his shoes and trouser bottoms visible below the hem. They pass the stairs they descended and continue on their way, turning a corner. As they do so, they hear a faint, intermittent hum. They pause to listen, then walk on. The sound grows louder and more distinct: somewhere in the chateau, voices are chanting in unison. Turning another corner, they find themselves in an anteroom that terminates in two massive double doors. The chanting is coming from beyond them. Corso walks over to the doors with the girl at his heels. He grasps the handle. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (hisses) No! Up to the gallery. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The chanting is even louder now. They reach the top of some uncarpeted stairs and cautiously open a small door. A wave of sound hits them. They steal through the doorway into the shadowy gallery, and peer over a balustrade. At the far end of the huge room in a dais draped in black with some shallow steps leading up to it. On the wall above the dais hangs an inverted silver crucifix; on the dais itself, which is flanked by a pair of outsize black candles in three-foot silver candlesticks, Liana stands facing the hall from behind a silver lectern on which reposes 'The Nine Gates'. Arrayed in the body of the hall are the 50 guests, each holding a lighted black candle. Liana and the guests are taking it in turns, like priest and congregation, to intone passages from the Latin text of 'The Nine Gates'. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: (quietly, to the girl) You stay here and cover me. I'm going down. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Pulling the cowl over his head, he sneaks down the spiral staircase, secretes himself in the rear rank of guests, and concentrates on Liana and the book as the litany continues. All at once, unseen by us, the doors swing open with a crash and Balkan's deep bass voice punctures the air on a derisive note. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The guests stop chanting, and fifty cowled heads turn to look for the source of this unseemly interruption. Up on the dais, Liana freezes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo-mumbo-jumbo!!! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Looking over-life-size in his dark and elegant double-breasted suit, he strides toward the dais. Any guests who fail to get out of his way in time are brusquely elbowed aside. Liana watches him, transfixed, as he climbs the steps and turns to face the guests. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: Look around you - yes, all of you. What do you see? (they involuntarily turn to look at each other) I'll tell you: a bunch of buffoons in fancy dress. What are you expecting, an apparition? I'm the only apparition you'll see tonight. You really think the Prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself to the likes of you? He never has and he never will - never! (He closes 'The Nine Gates' with a snap and holds it up) You read from his book, yes, but you have no conception of its true power. I alone have grasped its secret. I alone have fathomed the Master's grand design. I alone am worthy to enjoy the fruits of that discovery: absolute power to determine my own destiny. <BR>\nLiana: (finding her voice at last) You're insane, Boris. (puts out her hand) Give it back at once! <BR>\nBalkan: (rounds on her) As for you, Liana de Saint-Damien, you're even guiltier than the rest of this pathetic rabble. You have at least some idea of what this book can do in the right hands, yet you lend yourself to these farcical proceedings, these orgies of ageing flesh conducted in the Master's name. You're a charlatan! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Liana tries to grab the book, but Balkan holds it above his head. She claws his cheeks in desperation. He clasps his face, dropping the book. Liana makes a dive for it, but Balkan pounces on her. They roll over, struggling fiercely. Balkan grabs her by the throat. She tries to break his grip, but he redoubles it. Halfway down the dais steps with Balkan on top of her, she fights for breath. Her suffocated, agonized face is turned toward the hall. The guests shrink back in horror, some of them dropping their candles. Hysterical screams rend the air. Corso comes to life. Hampered by his robe, he makes for dais as fast as he can, scattering frightened guests in the process. He takes hold of Balkan's shoulders and tries to haul him off Liana. Balkan, still throttling her, turns to look. He glares at Corso through his heavy glasses, his features contorted with rage. Then, removing one hand \nfrom Liana's throat, he deals Corso a backhanded blow that sends him reeling. Liana seizes the chance to break free. She crawls away, but Balkan is too quick for her: grabbing her pentacle chain from behind, he proceeds to garrotte her with it. Liana, now on her knees, scrabbles at the chain that is biting into her neck. Her face turns purple, her tongue begins to protrude. Corso looks around wildly for a weapon. He seizes one of the three-foot candlesticks and raises it over his head. Suddenly: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Girl: (Off Screen) Don't, Corso! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Startled, he lowers the candlestick and looks up. The girl is perched on the gallery balustrade just above him. Too preoccupied with Balkan and Liana to wonder what her game is, Corso raises the candlestick once more. The girl lands on top of Corso, bearing him to the ground, and immobilizes him with a hammerlock. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Get off me! He'll kill her! <BR>\nGirl: Leave them! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan completes his grisly work: Liana's purple face is all too reminiscent of Baroness Kessler's. With a final tug at the chain, he plants one foot in the small of Liana's back and sends her limp body sprawling across the floor of the hall. Screams and cries of horror go up from the guests, who have recoiled still further. Balkan straightens up, a somewhat dishevelled but still imposing figure despite the scratches on his cheeks. Even his glasses are still in place. He leans forward, eyes narrowed in a mock menacing way, and stamps his foot. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: (in a voice like thunder) Boooh! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>With more hysterical screams and cries of dismay, the guests turn tall and flee the hall like a herd of panic-stricken cattle, jostling each other in their eagerness to get out the door. Calmly, without so much as a glance at the girl, Corso, or Liana's corpse, Balkan smoothes his hair down, picks up 'The Nine Gates', and strides majestically after them. Silence falls. The girl releases her grip on Corso's arm, gets off him and rises to her knees. He sits up, nursing his elbow and staring at her with blank incomprehension. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Why did you do it? <BR>\nGirl: Some things are meant to happen. That was one of them. <BR>\nCorso: Don't give me that crap again! You were working for him all along! <BR>\nGirl: Funny, I thought you were. <BR>\nCorso: You played me for a sucker, the two of you. I don't intend to take the rap for that maniac. <BR>\nGirl: He just murdered someone with a roomful of witnesses. That lets you off the hook for the other killings. You should be grateful. <BR>\nCorso: I'm ecstatic. (He gets to his feet. The girl rises too, starts to pat the dust off his robe. Corso impatiently evades her hand) Where's he off to? <BR>\nGirl: What do you care? Your job is done. This is as far as you need to go. <BR>\nCorso: The hell it is! The sonofabitch owes me the other half of my fee. <BR>\nGirl: (ironically) Of course, it's just business. I thought your curiosity had gotten the better of you. <BR>\nCorso: Okay, so what's meant to happen next? <BR>\nGirl: You really want to know? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>The girl, with Corso, red-eyed and unshaven beside her, is driving along a country road bordered by rolling fields wreathed in gray mist. They've appropriated Liana's Mercedes sedan. Corso has taken over the wheel. The girl is fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. Sunset. The girl is back behind the wheel, Corso smoking. Dazzled by the setting sun, she lowers the visor. The Mercedes rounds a bend. Visible in the distance, crisply silhouetted against the afterglow, is a castle. It's the one of which we saw a backlighted photograph on Balkan's wall. The girl pulls up some distance from the archway that was once the castle gate. A dark green Range Rover is already parked beside it. Corso and the girl get out and briefly survey the derelict building. A glimmer of light is issuing from the arrow slits in one of the turrets. They cross the deserted courtyard, which is littered with fallen \nmasonry. They climb a dilapidated flight of stone steps to the battlements and walk along them to the tower. They pause outside the moldering old door and listen. A man's voice is faintly audible. Corso puts his hand on the handle. The girl gropes in the pocket of her duffel coat and produces the chromium-plated automatic, holds it out. Corso hesitates briefly, then stuffs it in his jacket pocket. He opens the door and enters, followed by the girl. They are looking down into the interior of the turret, which forms a cylindrical chamber. They're on a small landing from which a steep flight of unprotected stone steps curves down and around the inner wall to the floor of the chamber. The floor, littered with debris including worm-eaten beams that have fallen from the ceiling far above, consists of massive, age-old planks. A large circle has been chalked in the middle of the floor, and \nwithin it a square divided into nine boxes numbered 1-9. Each box contains some unrelated object: a rusty knife, a piece of cord, a stone, a gold ring, a serpentine bracelet, a glass vial, a small pile of earth, a quill pen, an hourglass. The chamber is illuminated by half a dozen kerosene lamps located around the circle but outside it. Also near the circle is a camper's collapsible table with various objects on it: a black briefcase, 'The Nine Gates', a magnifying glass, a vacuum flask and mug. On the floor beside the table is an open suitcase with more books spilling out of it. The voice we heard from outside is that of Balkan, but a Balkan unlike any we have seen before: no jacket or necktie, shirt sleeves rolled ' up, vest half unbuttoned, strands of gray hair falling over his scratched and sweating face, cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze with excitement. He's kneeling in front of the numbered boxes and babbling to himself in an expressionless monotone: <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: ... eight doors come before the Serpent that guards the word, Teth, Enea, Novem, Oded, the number nine, which holds the final secret, the mystery of mysteries. The Serpent is the beast that always sleeps with one eye open and is reflected in the Mirror of Knowledge. (giggles triumphantly) Eight engravings plus one, or one plus eight, which coincides with the number that St. John of Patmos attributed to the Beast: 666... <BR>\nCorso: (to the girl) He needs therapy. <BR>\nBalkan: (proceeds to scrawl some numerals on the floor with a piece of chalk) Six plus six plus six equals eighteen. One and eight. (even more triumphantly): One plus eight equals nine! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso starts to descend the steps. The girl stays behind, sits down on the top step, props her chin on her hand, and watches the proceedings. Balkan rises with chalk dust all over the knees of his pants. He goes to his briefcase and takes out a sheaf of torn engravings. Corso has reached the foot of the steps. Balkan, turning to resume his place in the circle, catches sight of him. He freezes in disbelief, and a long moment passes before he speaks. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: What are you doing here?! <BR>\nCorso: I thought I'd drop in before they put you behind bars. <BR>\nBalkan: Go away! <BR>\nCorso: We had a deal, remember? <BR>\nBalkan: A deal?! What impertinence! You bungled it, damn you! You failed me all along the line! Thanks to your lack of initiative, I was compelled to do my own dirty work. And I did it! I got these myself! See, here they are! (brandishes the engravings, speaks with mounting vehemence) Nine engravings or nine doors, and only an initiate can open them. Each door has two keys, each engraving discloses a number, a secret element and keyword to be interpreted in the light of reason and the Cabbala, the one true philosophy! <BR>\nCorso: I want my money. <BR>\nBalkan: Don't you understand what's going on here? (returns to the circle, kneels down again, and deals out the engravings like playing cards, one to a box, leaving three boxes Empty) You have before you the mystery of which men have dreamed throughout the centuries. Thousands have died an agonizing death in hopes of just a glimpse of what you're about to see! <BR>\nCorso: Yeah? What's that, Old Nick in person? <BR>\nBalkan: Don't be ridiculous! He has never appeared to anyone, never! He's a spirit - the spirit of pure evil. He manifests himself through his servants, of whom I'm proud to be one! (rises, walks quickly over to the little table, and opens 'The Nine Gates' . Turning over several pages, he tears out an engraving) Three copies, but only nine of their twenty-seven engravings hold the key, and I have them all! (tears out two more engravings in quick succession) I have only to complete the sequence. Then the Serpent will enter the seal of Saturn, and I - I shall enter the Ninth Gate! <BR>\nCorso: Cut the crap and write me a cheque. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan returns to the circle, kneels down once more and neatly positions the three engravings in the empty boxes. Then he rises, goes' to the table, and pours himself a drink from a flask. He gargles with it, swallows, and shakes himself like a wet dog. Whatever the flask contained, it seems to have invigorated him. He dribbles gasoline around the circle, then picks up one of the kerosene lamps and hurls it at the floor. The lamp smashes and ignites the gasoline. Instantly, he's ringed with fire. He draws himself up and stands erect in the center of the circle with flames dancing all around him. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Balkan: I give you my allegiance, Master. I surrender myself unto you body and soul. Let me fear neither noose, nor sword, nor poison. Let me walk unscathed among lepers and the plague-ridden. Erase me from the Book of Life and inscribe me in the black Book of Death. Let it be no! Let it be so now! (ecstatically) Yes, master, yes! Oh, thank you, thank you! I can feel the power flowing through me like an electric current, rendering me capable of any achievement, mental or physical! I could float on air, walk on water. (He stoops and dabbles his hands in the ring of fire) See? I plunge my hands in fire and feel no heat. (picks up the gasoline can, holds it over his head, dousing himself in the contents, then hurls it aside) <BR>\nCorso: Hey, don't be stupid! <BR>\nBalkan: (unhearing) Admay, Eloy, Agla, Zatel, Gebal, Elimi, Ashtoreth, Moloch, Shamash, Dagon... (With a whoosh, he himself catches fire. Flames play over his ecstatic figure) It's miraculous! I feel nothing, nothing at all! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He emits another triumphant laugh that soars up the scale until it becomes a high-pitched scream of agony. He starts to caper around, slapping at his clothes, his face, his hair. Corso has regained his feet. He takes the automatic from his pocket and sends it slithering across the floor and through the ring of flames. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Here, you idiot! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He retreats up the steps with horror written on his face. The girl has risen to her feet. He takes her hand and, with a last backward glance, hustles her outside. Balkan's wild screams reverberate around the walls as Corso and the girl hurry across the courtyard. They are standing beside the Mercedes. Smoke and tongues of flame are issuing from the arrow slits of Balkan's tower. His screams rise in a crescendo. Then a gunshot cuts them off like a knife. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: He really thought it would work. <BR>\nGirl: He wasn't to know it wouldn't. <BR>\nCorso: (stares at her, momentarily puzzled, then at the blazing castle, then back at her) You didn't do anything to help him, Greeneyes, not this time. <BR>\nGirl: I'm your guardian angel, remember? <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>She lays her palm against his cheek, then crooks her hand around the nape of his neck and draws his face toward hers, kisses him tenderly on the lips. Corso returns her kiss. He folds her in his arms and holds her close. The fiery glow dances over their entwined figures. The castle is now ablaze. The flames have spread from Balkan's tower to the rest of the building. Smoke and flames are now belching from it. The sky overhead is tinged with crimson. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Paris Hotel room. Corso’s hair damp from the shower and a towel around his waist, is halfway through shaving when there's a knock on the bathroom door. One cheek daubed with foam, he opens it to find himself confronted by the floor waiter, check pad and ballpoint in hand <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Waiter: Bonjour, m'sieur. Votre petit d‚jeuner. <BR>\nCorso: Oh. Sure. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Taking the pad, he emerges into the bedroom and scribbles his signature, then stops short: there's a breakfast cart in the middle of the room, but the bed is empty. No sign of The Girl or her clothes. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Where is she? <BR>\nWaiter: Pardon? <BR>\nCorso: Madame, ou elle est? <BR>\nWaiter: Je ne ''ai pas vue, m'sieur. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He makes for the door and exits. Corso catches hold of the door just as it's closing, puts his head out into the corridor, looks right and left. No one in sight but the floor waiter, who casts a puzzled glance over his shoulder as he walks off. Corso, now dressed but unshaven, hurries over to the reception desk, where Gruber is on duty. Gruber greets him with an almost imperceptible inclination of the head. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Gruber: Good morning, Mr. Corso. <BR>\nCorso: Morning, Gruber. The young lady I came with, have you seen her? <BR>\nGruber: Yea, sir. She went out not long ago. (He reaches behind him and produces a folded message slip from one of the pigeonholes) She asked me to give you this. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He hands the slip to Corso, who opens it. With him, we read: 'See you around, maybe.' And below that: 'PS. The 9th Engraving was a forgery.' <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b><b>*** <BR>\n</b>Toledo Street. Alley. Day. Corso's footsteps echo as he walks along one of Toledo's narrow medieval streets. The steel-framed glasses with the cracked lens have been replaced by a new pair with gold frames. He's wearing a smart new overcoat and has a new leather bag slung from his shoulder. He rounds a corner and heads down the deserted alleyway we saw in an earlier scene. No scaffolding, just sandblasted walls and freshly painted window frames and grilles. He reaches the doorway leading to the inner courtyard, hears a woman's strident cries, bumps into the boy, who comes running out as before. Corso crosses the courtyard to the steps that led down to the Cenizas' workshop. He stops short and stares. The old door - 'HERMANOS CENIZA - RESTAURACION DE LIBROS' - has been taken off its hinges and propped on its side against the basement wall. The display window is just a gaping hole: the \nwindow frame has been ripped out, exposing the masonry surrounding it. The whirr of a power tool can be heard. Corso, looking puzzled, descends the steps. He pauses in the doorway and surveys the interior. The hand press has disappeared and the floor is littered with debris. Pale rectangular patches on the grey walls indicate where counters and cabinets have been ripped out. Two Spanish workmen are busy detaching an old cabinet from the wall with an electric screwdriver. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso: Oiga! <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He has to repeat himself before they interrupt their activities. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Senor? <BR>\nCorso: Los Hermanos Ceniza? <BR>\n1st Workman: Los Ceniza? (glances at the 2nd Workman) Estan muertos. <BR>\nCorso: Como muertos? Quando? <BR>\n1st Workman: Oh, hace anos, anos. <BR>\nCorso: ANOS?! <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ingles? <BR>\nCorso: Americana. <BR>\n2nd Workman: Ah... They dead, many years. <BR>\nCorso: (more and more puzzled): But they were here not long ago - I spoke with them. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>The 2nd workman looks at his colleague, shrugs and chuckles as if to convey that Corso is crazy, like most foreigners. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>1st Workman: Disculpe. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>He indicates that Corso is in the way. Utterly disconcerted, Corso backs up as they manhandle the cabinet away from the wall and tilt it forward prior to laying it face down on the floor. As they do so, a dusty piece of paper slides off the top of the cabinet and seesaws to the floor like a falling leaf. Instinctively, Corso stoops and picks it up. He looks at it idly, then more closely. His eyes widen. It's the Ninth Engraving: The woman riding a seven-headed dragon with a castle ablaze in the background. The woman's face bears a strong resemblance to that of The Girl. <BR>\n<b><BR>\n</b>Corso walks back along the alleyway with the engraving in his hand. His receding figure dwindles to a speck. </P>\n<b></FONT>\n</b><b>\n</b>\n<b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Ninth Gate, The</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Arturo Pérez-Reverte\" title=\"Scripts by Arturo Pérez-Reverte\">Arturo Pérez-Reverte</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=John Brownjohn\" title=\"Scripts by John Brownjohn\">John Brownjohn</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Enrique Urbizu\" title=\"Scripts by Enrique Urbizu\">Enrique Urbizu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Roman Polanski\" title=\"Scripts by Roman Polanski\">Roman Polanski</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Ninth Gate, The Script.html#comments\" title=\"Ninth Gate, The comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What is so special about the ninth engraving?", "tokens": [ "What", "is", "so", "special", "about", "the", "ninth", "engraving", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "it has the girl on it", "tokens": [ "it", "has", "the", "girl", "on", "it" ] }, { "text": "It is needed to complete the ritual", "tokens": [ "It", "is", "needed", "to", "complete", "the", "ritual" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", 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"which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "At the beginning of the movie, what was the subject of Dr. Hudson's lecture?", "tokens": [ "At", "the", "beginning", "of", "the", "movie", ",", "what", "was", "the", "subject", "of", "Dr.", "Hudson", "s", "lecture", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Criminal psychology", "tokens": [ "Criminal", "psychology" ] }, { "text": "Criminal psychology", "tokens": [ "Criminal", "psychology" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does Dr. Hudson become as a result of the attack in the lavatory?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "Dr.", "Hudson", "become", "as", "a", "result", "of", "the", "attack", "in", "the", "lavatory", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "She becomes an agoraphobic.", "tokens": [ "She", "becomes", "an", "agoraphobic", "." ] }, { "text": "Agoraphobic", "tokens": [ "Agoraphobic" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", 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"which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", 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",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Why does Goetz and Monahan ask Helen for her expertise?", "tokens": [ "Why", "does", "Goetz", "and", "Monahan", "ask", "Helen", "for", "her", "expertise", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "There is a new series of murders in the San Francisco area.", "tokens": [ "There", "is", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "in", "the", "San", "Francisco", "area", "." ] }, { "text": "She understands the mindset of serial killers and can find out their next move.", "tokens": [ "She", "understands", "the", "mindset", "of", "serial", "killers", "and", "can", "find", "out", "their", "next", "move", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who declares their romantic feelings for M.J.?", "tokens": [ "Who", "declares", "their", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Reuben", "tokens": [ "Reuben" ] }, { "text": "Reuben", "tokens": [ "Reuben" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Where is the assailant getting his inspiration?", "tokens": [ "Where", "is", "the", "assailant", "getting", "his", "inspiration", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "The assailant is inspired by notorious serial killers.", "tokens": [ "The", "assailant", "is", "inspired", "by", "notorious", "serial", "killers", "." ] }, { "text": "Serial killers", "tokens": [ "Serial", "killers" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who dies during an incident at the police station?", "tokens": [ "Who", "dies", "during", "an", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Reuben", "tokens": [ "Reuben" ] }, { "text": "Reuben", "tokens": [ "Reuben" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is the Copycat Killer?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Peter Foley", "tokens": [ "Peter", "Foley" ] }, { "text": "Foley", "tokens": [ "Foley" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Where does Foley take Helen after he kidnaps her?", "tokens": [ "Where", "does", "Foley", "take", "Helen", "after", "he", "kidnaps", "her", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "He takes her back to the crime scene where Daryll Lee tried to kill her.", "tokens": [ "He", "takes", "her", "back", "to", "the", "crime", "scene", "where", "Daryll", "Lee", "tried", "to", "kill", "her", "." ] }, { "text": "Scene of the previous crime", "tokens": [ "Scene", "of", "the", "previous", "crime" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", 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",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who was assisting Foley in his attempt to kill Helen?", "tokens": [ "Who", "was", "assisting", "Foley", "in", "his", "attempt", "to", "kill", "Helen", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Daryll Lee", "tokens": [ "Daryll", "Lee" ] }, { "text": "Daryll Lee", "tokens": [ "Daryll", "Lee" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is Dr. Helen Hudson?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "Dr.", "Helen", "Hudson", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "a serial killer expert", "tokens": [ "a", "serial", "killer", "expert" ] }, { "text": "expert on serial killers", "tokens": [ "expert", "on", "serial", "killers" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", 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",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is Daryll Lee Collum?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "Daryll", "Lee", "Collum", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "One of Helen's previous subjects", "tokens": [ "One", "of", "Helen", "s", "previous", "subjects" ] }, { "text": "A serial killer", "tokens": [ "A", "serial", "killer" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What happens to Helen after Daryll attacks her?", "tokens": [ "What", "happens", "to", "Helen", "after", "Daryll", "attacks", "her", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "She becomes a recluse.", "tokens": [ "She", "becomes", "a", "recluse", "." ] }, { "text": "She experiences agoraphobia. ", "tokens": [ "She", "experiences", "agoraphobia", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", 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",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Where does Helen live?", "tokens": [ "Where", "does", "Helen", "live", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "San Francisco", "tokens": [ "San", "Francisco" ] }, { "text": "An expensive hi-tech apartment", "tokens": [ "An", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who are M.J. and Reuben?", "tokens": [ "Who", "are", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Police partners who are romantically involved.", "tokens": [ "Police", "partners", "who", "are", "romantically", "involved", "." ] }, { "text": "They are inspectors.", "tokens": [ "They", "are", "inspectors", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", 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"which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", 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",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "How does Reuben die?", "tokens": [ "How", "does", "Reuben", "die", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "In a shooting at a police station", "tokens": [ "In", "a", "shooting", "at", "a", "police", "station" ] }, { "text": "By an unrelated shooting incident.", "tokens": [ "By", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who kidnaps Helen?", "tokens": [ "Who", "kidnaps", "Helen", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Peter Foley", "tokens": [ "Peter", "Foley" ] }, { "text": "Peter Foley", "tokens": [ "Peter", "Foley" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "How is Andy killed in the serial killer manner of?", "tokens": [ "How", "is", "Andy", "killed", "in", "the", "serial", "killer", "manner", "of", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Jeffrey Dahmer", "tokens": [ "Jeffrey", "Dahmer" ] }, { "text": "Jeffrey Dahmer", "tokens": [ "Jeffrey", "Dahmer" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "How does Helen attempt to save M.J.?", "tokens": [ "How", "does", "Helen", "attempt", "to", "save", "M.J.", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "She pretends to hang herself", "tokens": [ "She", "pretends", "to", "hang", "herself" ] }, { "text": "By ruining Foley's plan.", "tokens": [ "By", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "plan", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", 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",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What topic is Helen Hudson an expert in?", "tokens": [ "What", "topic", "is", "Helen", "Hudson", "an", "expert", "in", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "serial killers", "tokens": [ "serial", "killers" ] }, { "text": "Serial killers", "tokens": [ "Serial", "killers" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who brutally attacks Helen?", "tokens": [ "Who", "brutally", "attacks", "Helen", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Daryll lee Collum", "tokens": [ "Daryll", "lee", "Collum" ] }, { "text": "Daryll Lee Cullum", "tokens": [ "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Which character declares he is in love with M.J.?", "tokens": [ "Which", "character", "declares", "he", "is", "in", "love", "with", "M.J.", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Reuben", "tokens": [ "Reuben" ] }, { "text": "Reuben", "tokens": [ "Reuben" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Why does Helen think M.J. and Reuben are being unprofessional?", "tokens": [ "Why", "does", "Helen", "think", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "being", "unprofessional", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "because they are spending more time worrying about their relationship than the case", "tokens": [ "because", "they", "are", "spending", "more", "time", "worrying", "about", "their", "relationship", "than", "the", "case" ] }, { "text": "Because they are dating that they started losing focus on the case.", "tokens": [ "Because", "they", "are", "dating", "that", "they", "started", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "case", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What pattern is the Copycat Killer following?", "tokens": [ "What", "pattern", "is", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "following", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "the order Helen presented them in at her lecture", "tokens": [ "the", "order", "Helen", "presented", "them", "in", "at", "her", "lecture" ] }, { "text": "The order in which the killers had been presented in the college lecture.", "tokens": [ "The", "order", "in", "which", "the", "killers", "had", "been", "presented", "in", "the", "college", "lecture", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "How is Reuben killed?", "tokens": [ "How", "is", "Reuben", "killed", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "a shooting at the police station", "tokens": [ "a", "shooting", "at", "the", "police", "station" ] }, { "text": "He is shot at the police station.", "tokens": [ "He", "is", "shot", "at", "the", "police", "station", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", "feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who determines that Peter Folley is the killer?", "tokens": [ "Who", "determines", "that", "Peter", "Folley", "is", "the", "killer", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "M.J.", "tokens": [ "M.J", "." ] }, { "text": "M.J.", "tokens": [ "M.J", "." ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Where is Helen found bound and gagged?", "tokens": [ "Where", "is", "Helen", "found", "bound", "and", "gagged", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "the bathroom of the lecture hall", "tokens": [ "the", "bathroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall" ] }, { "text": "Restroom", "tokens": [ "Restroom" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", "friend", ",", "Andy", "(", "John", "Rothman", ")", ".", "When", "a", "new", "series", "of", "murders", "spreads", "fear", "and", "panic", "across", "her", "home", "city", "of", "San", "Francisco", ",", "Inspector", "M.J.", "Monahan", "(", "Hunter", ")", "and", "her", "partner", "Reuben", "Goetz", "(", "Dermot", "Mulroney", ")", "solicit", "Helen", "s", "expertise", ".", "Initially", "reluctant", ",", "Helen", "soon", "finds", "herself", "drawn", "into", "the", "warped", "perpetrator", "s", "game", "of", "wits", ".", "A", "sideline", "to", "the", "serial", "killer", "s", "antics", "is", "the", "budding", "romance", "growing", "between", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", ".", "One", "night", "as", "Reuben", "and", "M.J.", "are", "following", "up", "on", "leads", ",", "alone", "together", ",", "the", "stress", "of", "the", "case", "proves", "too", "much", "for", "them", "and", "they", "argue", ".", "In", "the", "midst", "of", "his", "frustration", ",", "Reuben", "declares", "his", "romantic", 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"which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre><b><HTML>\n</b><HEAD><script>\n<b><!--\n</b>if (window!= top)\ntop.location.href=location.href\n<b>// -->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "How does Helen distract Foley from killing M.J.?", "tokens": [ "How", "does", "Helen", "distract", "Foley", "from", "killing", "M.J.", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "By attempting to hang herself", "tokens": [ "By", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself" ] }, { "text": "Attempting to hang herself", "tokens": [ "Attempting", "to", "hang", "herself" ] } ]
{ "id": "72e585c04d8375bf66b301a68fd88e9e6117f7d9", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Copycat.html", "file_size": 203659, "word_count": 37117, "start": "if ( window", "end": ". THE END", "summary": { "text": " After giving a guest lecture on criminal psychology at a local university, Dr Helen Hudson (Weaver), a respected field expert on serial killers, is cornered in a lavatory by one of her previous subjects, Daryll Lee Cullum (Harry Connick, Jr.), who kills a police officer and brutally attacks her. Helen becomes severely agoraphobic as a result, sealing herself inside an expensive hi-tech apartment, conducting her entire life from behind a computer screen and assisted by a friend, Andy (John Rothman).\nWhen a new series of murders spreads fear and panic across her home city of San Francisco, Inspector M.J. Monahan (Hunter) and her partner Reuben Goetz (Dermot Mulroney) solicit Helen's expertise. Initially reluctant, Helen soon finds herself drawn into the warped perpetrator's game of wits. A sideline to the serial killer's antics is the budding romance growing between M.J. and Reuben. One night as Reuben and M.J. are following up on leads, alone together, the stress of the case proves too much for them and they argue. In the midst of his frustration, Reuben declares his romantic feelings for M.J. as they have become considerably close in the last while. M.J. smiles back at him coyly and they share their first kiss.\nAs the murders continue, Helen realizes that the elusive assailant draws inspiration from notorious serial killers, including Albert DeSalvo, The Hillside Strangler, David Berkowitz, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy. When the murderer begins contacting and even stalking Helen, she and M.J. realize that he is after them, and they enlist the aid of Cullum, who tells them what he knows about the killer. M.J. and Reuben are now seeing each other, and are losing focus on the serial killer, which is noted by all especially Helen who finds it very unprofessional. Helen soon realizes that the Copycat Killer has been following the list of serial killers in the same order as she had presented them in her lecture at the university on the night of her attack, and the two work to figure out where and when he will strike next.l Again while Reuben and M.J stay late at the office, M.J. gets upset about their lack of progress and how their relationship is affecting the case. Reuben comforts her, by holding her, and they begin to kiss. Their passion succumbs and they spend the night together. Unfortunately, Reuben is later killed in an unrelated shooting incident at the police station, leaving only M.J. now heartbroken that she never got to tell Reuben she loved him to continue the search for the serial killer.\nAfter Andy is killed in a manner reminiscent of Jeffrey Dahmer, M.J. deduces the killer to be Peter Foley (William McNamara). After leading a failed attempt to catch Foley at his house, M.J. discovers that he has kidnapped Helen and taken her back to the scene of Daryll Lee's attempt at killing her—the restroom of the lecture hall. Once she gets there, M.J. finds Helen bound and gagged in the same manner that Cullum did before, but she is ambushed and shot by Foley, rendering her unconscious. As Foley prepares to kill M.J., Helen desperately attempts to save her by ruining Foley's carefully replicated crime scene the only way she can—by attempting to hang herself. Foley panics and cuts Helen down, and Helen is able to get away and escape to the building's roof. Her agoraphobia kicks in again, and Helen finds herself cornered. Accepting her fate, she turns to face Foley. However, just as he is about to kill her, M.J. shoots him in the brachial nerve, giving him one last chance to surrender. When he pulls his gun back on her, however, she shoots him dead.\nSome time later, Daryll Lee writes a letter to another serial killer, instructing him on how to kill Helen, revealing that he had been aiding Foley all along.", "tokens": [ "After", "giving", "a", "guest", "lecture", "on", "criminal", "psychology", "at", "a", "local", "university", ",", "Dr", "Helen", "Hudson", "(", "Weaver", ")", ",", "a", "respected", "field", "expert", "on", "serial", "killers", ",", "is", "cornered", "in", "a", "lavatory", "by", "one", "of", "her", "previous", "subjects", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "Cullum", "(", "Harry", "Connick", ",", "Jr.", ")", ",", "who", "kills", "a", "police", "officer", "and", "brutally", "attacks", "her", ".", "Helen", "becomes", "severely", "agoraphobic", "as", "a", "result", ",", "sealing", "herself", "inside", "an", "expensive", "hi-tech", "apartment", ",", "conducting", "her", "entire", "life", "from", "behind", "a", "computer", "screen", "and", "assisted", "by", "a", 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"feelings", "for", "M.J.", "as", "they", "have", "become", "considerably", "close", "in", "the", "last", "while", ".", "M.J.", "smiles", "back", "at", "him", "coyly", "and", "they", "share", "their", "first", "kiss", ".", "As", "the", "murders", "continue", ",", "Helen", "realizes", "that", "the", "elusive", "assailant", "draws", "inspiration", "from", "notorious", "serial", "killers", ",", "including", "Albert", "DeSalvo", ",", "The", "Hillside", "Strangler", ",", "David", "Berkowitz", ",", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "and", "Ted", "Bundy", ".", "When", "the", "murderer", "begins", "contacting", "and", "even", "stalking", "Helen", ",", "she", "and", "M.J.", "realize", "that", "he", "is", "after", "them", ",", "and", "they", "enlist", "the", "aid", "of", "Cullum", ",", "who", "tells", "them", "what", "he", "knows", "about", "the", "killer", ".", "M.J.", "and", "Reuben", "are", "now", "seeing", "each", "other", ",", "and", "are", "losing", "focus", "on", "the", "serial", "killer", ",", "which", "is", "noted", "by", "all", "especially", "Helen", "who", "finds", "it", "very", "unprofessional", ".", "Helen", "soon", "realizes", "that", "the", "Copycat", "Killer", "has", "been", "following", "the", "list", "of", "serial", "killers", "in", "the", "same", "order", "as", "she", "had", "presented", "them", "in", "her", "lecture", "at", "the", "university", "on", "the", "night", "of", "her", "attack", ",", "and", "the", "two", "work", "to", "figure", "out", "where", "and", "when", "he", "will", "strike", "next.l", "Again", "while", "Reuben", "and", "M.J", "stay", "late", "at", "the", "office", ",", "M.J.", "gets", "upset", "about", "their", "lack", "of", "progress", "and", "how", "their", "relationship", "is", "affecting", "the", "case", ".", "Reuben", "comforts", "her", ",", "by", "holding", "her", ",", "and", "they", "begin", "to", "kiss", ".", "Their", "passion", "succumbs", "and", "they", "spend", "the", "night", "together", ".", "Unfortunately", ",", "Reuben", "is", "later", "killed", "in", "an", "unrelated", "shooting", "incident", "at", "the", "police", "station", ",", "leaving", "only", "M.J.", "now", "heartbroken", "that", "she", "never", "got", "to", "tell", "Reuben", "she", "loved", "him", "to", "continue", "the", "search", "for", "the", "serial", "killer", ".", "After", "Andy", "is", "killed", "in", "a", "manner", "reminiscent", "of", "Jeffrey", "Dahmer", ",", "M.J.", "deduces", "the", "killer", "to", "be", "Peter", "Foley", "(", "William", "McNamara", ")", ".", "After", "leading", "a", "failed", "attempt", "to", "catch", "Foley", "at", "his", "house", ",", "M.J.", "discovers", "that", "he", "has", "kidnapped", "Helen", "and", "taken", "her", "back", "to", "the", "scene", "of", "Daryll", "Lee", "s", "attempt", "at", "killing", "her—the", "restroom", "of", "the", "lecture", "hall", ".", "Once", "she", "gets", "there", ",", "M.J.", "finds", "Helen", "bound", "and", "gagged", "in", "the", "same", "manner", "that", "Cullum", "did", "before", ",", "but", "she", "is", "ambushed", "and", "shot", "by", "Foley", ",", "rendering", "her", "unconscious", ".", "As", "Foley", "prepares", "to", "kill", "M.J.", ",", "Helen", "desperately", "attempts", "to", "save", "her", "by", "ruining", "Foley", "s", "carefully", "replicated", "crime", "scene", "the", "only", "way", "she", "can—by", "attempting", "to", "hang", "herself", ".", "Foley", "panics", "and", "cuts", "Helen", "down", ",", "and", "Helen", "is", "able", "to", "get", "away", "and", "escape", "to", "the", "building", "s", "roof", ".", "Her", "agoraphobia", "kicks", "in", "again", ",", "and", "Helen", "finds", "herself", "cornered", ".", "Accepting", "her", "fate", ",", "she", "turns", "to", "face", "Foley", ".", "However", ",", "just", "as", "he", "is", "about", "to", "kill", "her", ",", "M.J.", "shoots", "him", "in", "the", "brachial", "nerve", ",", "giving", "him", "one", "last", "chance", "to", "surrender", ".", "When", "he", "pulls", "his", "gun", "back", "on", "her", ",", "however", ",", "she", "shoots", "him", "dead", ".", "Some", "time", "later", ",", "Daryll", "Lee", "writes", "a", "letter", "to", "another", "serial", "killer", ",", "instructing", "him", "on", "how", "to", "kill", "Helen", ",", "revealing", "that", "he", "had", "been", "aiding", "Foley", "all", "along", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_(film)", "title": "Copycat (film)" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>Copycat Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Copycat script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"Copycat script, Copycat movie script, Copycat film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, 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-->\n</b></script><TITLE>Copycat</TITLE>\n<!--MadeByWZ-->\n<b></HEAD>\n</b><b><BODY>\n</b><center><h1>COPYCAT</h1></center>\n\n<center><h3>third draft by\nFrank Pierson\n\nParticipating writers:\nAnn Biderman\nJay Presson Allen</h3></center>\n<hr width=85%>\n<pre>\n\n\n<b>\tINT. LECTURE HALL BERKELEY - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe hall is full. On the stage, DR. HELEN HUDSON is\n\tspeaking. HELEN is a forensic psychologist. Behind her is\n\ta projected diagram: PREDISPOSITION, DISSOCIATION, TRAUMA,\n\tFANTASY, VIOLENT FANTASY, FACILITATORS, MURDER, and\n\tTRAUMA-REINFORCEMENT which she can point to with a laser\n\tpointing device. We see her from a considerable\n\tdistance... the back of the balcony. Her voice is crisp and\n\tassured.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOur society creates these socially\n\t\tand psychically disenfranchised\n\t\tmen, and their revenge on society\n\t\tis terrible. They are hard to\n\t\tcatch. They are \"the nice guy next\n\t\tdoor,\" their employers -- if they\n\t\twork at all -- find them quiet and\n\t\tuncomplaining. Early abuse and\n\t\trejection have taught them\n\t\tpassivity. Only in their violent\n\t\tfantasies do they feel alive. What\n\t\tthey seek in their frenzied\n\t\tassaults on their victims is relief\n\t\tfrom passivity. For these men, ten\n\t\tminutes relief is worth far more\n\t\tthan the life of another human\n\t\tbeing. Torture, the pain they\n\t\tinflict, the screams of the victim,\n\t\tare all part of the ritual that\n\t\tgives them a brief respite from\n\t\ttheir own psychic pain. And then\n\t\tthe depression, the forgetting, the\n\t\tfeeling of sadness and despair\n\t\tbegins the cycle all over again.\n\t\tLike addicts seeking their drug,\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer, Bundy -- they\n\t\tseek out their next victim.\n\n\tDuring the second half of this speech, the eye of the camera\n\thas moved slowly forward until it settles just behind the\n\tbalcony railing.\n\n<b>\tCLOSEUP: HELEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe cycle is endless until they are\n\t\tcaught. And they are caught by\n\t\tchance -- they run a red light, and\n\t\ta body is in the trunk. A leaking\t\n\t\tpipe brings a plumber to a basement\n\t\twhere they is the smell of death.\n\n\tHer eyes have come to rest on the spot of the camera eye in\n\tthe balcony... Her voice chokes off. She stares.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV:\n</b>\n\tSitting in the front row of the balcony, a YOUNG RED-HEADED\n\tMAN (DARYLL LEE CULLUM) leans forward, resting his tattooed\n\tarms on the railing. He smiles intimately at HELEN.\n\n\tHELEN cuts her eyes to the left. She sees:\n\n\tBackstage, an overweight COP in plain clothes. Instantly\n\talert to HELEN'S alarm, he jumps up, comes within an inch of\n\texposing his presence to the audience. A SECOND COP, in the\n\twings on the other side of the stage, also springs to\n\tattention. FIRST COP'S eyes follow HELEN'S...\n\n\tTheir POV: THE BALCONY - YOUNG RED-HEADED MAN is no longer\n\tthere.\n\n\tHELEN Can she believe her eyes? Resumes:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAt any time, right now, as you\n\t\tlisten, the FBI estimates there are\n\t\t30 to 35 serial killers stalking\n\t\ttheir victims. The serial killer is\n\t\ta plaque that must be addressed not\n\t\tonly by the law, but by science.\n\t\tFlorida spent eight million dollars\n\t\tto execute Ted Bundy. It would\n\t\thave been better spent building a\n\t\tforensic penal facility devoted to\n\t\tresearch.\n\n\tOnce again her eyes fix on the balcony to reassure herself\n\tthat the smiling man is not there...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConfined for life, without parole,\n\t\tand subjected to scientific study,\n\t\tthese men's lives might finally, in\n\t\tsome small measure, educate and\n\t\tthereby protect society. Thank\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tApplause as Helen warily checks for the TWO COPS. They are\n\tcarefully casing the crowd.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tLATER:\n</b>\n\tThe crowd is breaking up. FIRST COP walks HELEN to the\n\tladies' room. People reach to shake Helen's hand; she copes \n\tas well as she can with her fear. THEY LEAVE THE STAGE\n<b>\tTHROUGH A DOOR OPENING TO A CORRIDOR LEADING BACK TO\n</b><b>\tDRESSING ROOMS AND A LADIES' ROOM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE COP, clearly embarrassed, pokes his head in and looks\n\taround. Under one stall he sees a woman's HIGH HEELS. He\n\thastily ducks back into HALL and signals an okay to Helen.\n\tBefore the door behind her closes, we see the COP prepare to\n\tstand guard outside. HELEN walks past the stall with the\n\thigh heels to a stall several doors down.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HIGH HEELS:\n</b>\n\tAnd a tattoo that the cop missed seeing on one of the\n\tankles. The shoes are kicked off. The feet disappear from\n\tview as\n\n\tHELEN, a few stalls away, methodically places toilet paper\n\taround the seat before raising her skirt. A faint noise\n\tmakes her freeze. Her hand reaches for the door. She is\n\tjust able to unlock it, but no more, before a NOISE COMES\n<b>\tDOWN FROM THE NEXT STALL.\n</b>\n\tLike a lariat it falls over HELEN'S head and is violently\n\tyanked tight. She kicks at the stall door.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, leaning against outside door smoking, hears\n\tthe clang of metal as the stall door bangs open. He\n\treacts...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUED\n</b>\n\tThe RED-HEADED MAN is struggling to secure the rope around a\n\thook inside his own stall. KNOCKING (o.s.)\n\n\t\t\t\tCOP (o.s.)\n\t\tDoctor Hudson? Are you okay in\n\t\tthere?\n\n\tThe MAN lets slip a little slack.\n\n\tHELEN'S fingers, thrusting between the rope and her neck,\n\tget just enough air for HELEN to let out a strangled little\n\tscream.\n\n\tCORRIDOR: COP, not certain what to do about the ambiguous\n\tsounds from inside. Women stands nearby, inhibiting him for\n\ta split second from going in the Ladies' Room door. Now\n\tthere is more SOUND from inside...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tCOP steps into the room, gun down. Over the COP'S shoulder\n\twe see HELEN hanging in open booth, her hand fluttering at\n\ther throat. She has one slippery shoeless foot on the\n\ttoilet seat.\n\n\tCOP takes a couple of steps forward. Behind COP'S back we\n\tsee a broom closet door opening.\n\n\tHELEN'S POV: CLOSE UP: The COP, taken from behind. In a\n\tsecond, his throat is slit. In a gush of blood, he falls,\n\this gun still in his hand.\n\n\tRED-HEADED MAN standing over the fallen COP, smiling at\n<b>\tHELEN.\n</b>\n\tCOP'S BODY IS TWITCHING, JERKING. The violent contractions\n\tin his fingers cause the gun to go off... ONE... TWO SHOTS,\n\tthe sound reverberating against the tile walls.\n\n<b>\tSTAGE AREA\n</b>\n\tThe audience and SECOND COP react to the gunshots.\n\tHELEN, her eyes bulging, struggling against the rope.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSLAM CUT:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APT - SAN FRANCISCO - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tAs HELEN, in bed, bolts up from the nightmare, her hands try\n\tdesperately to pull the dream rope from her neck. She is now\n\tpale, her hair is dirty, there are deep circles under her\n\teyes. This is a woman in the throes of a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy! Andy!\n\n\tShe races through this LOFT APARTMENT (THE WALLS ARE EIGHT\n\tFEET UNDER A TWELVE-FOOT CEILING) to study opening off a\n\thall. She looks in, gasping for breathing...\n\n<b>\tINT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tThe room is neat -- nobody there. (We will later see that it\n\tis used on and off by her computer, Andy.)\n\n\tHELEN whimpers in frustration; she is alone. SHE TALKS TO\n\tHERSELF as she turns back and moves past a LIVING ROOM,\n\twhere she turns on lights and the TV flicks on, (COURT TV.)\n\tThe sound comes up, loud... She moves on... trying to calm\n\therself with the sound of her own voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt is October twelfth, 1994 in the\n\t\tcity of San Francisco, California,\n\t\tU.S.A., the strongest, richest,\n\t\tmost stable and happiest country in\n\t\tthe world. That is the sole place\n\t\tof life in the universe. Under\n\t\tGod.\n\n\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. Two pills are shaken out into a palm,\n\tothers scattering from the nervous haste...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN Watching herself in BATHROOM mirror as she\n\ttosses down the pills, gulps water. She regards her haggard\n\treflection with a certain detachment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGood God. What happened to you?\n\n\tShe barks a rueful laugh... we are seeing a woman will\n\therself from near-hysteria to relative calm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tHALL As she exits the bathroom. And moves into her OFFICE.\n\tShe pours herself a brandy and stands before two computers.\n\tOf the side-by-side computer screens, one is blank. The\n\tother shows a chess setup. Flashing on the bottom of the\n\tscreen comes a command.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'It's almost seven. Make a goddam\n\t\tmove.'\n\n\tShe studies the chess set-up for a moment, then makes a\n\tmove. She has not even hit the Keyboard of the other\n\tcomputer before CHESSMASTER sends another message.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Lousy move. Not really into this\n\t\tgame, Helen. Let's drop it. I've\n\t\tgot a feeling about you. Let's\n\t\tmeet. Like a date.'\n\n\tHELEN types the following to CHESSMASTER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'I'm a terrible date. I'd mess up your\n\t\tlife.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCHESSMASTER\n</b>\t\t'Another romantic dream gone all to\n\t\thell.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'Maybe it's better to just dream\n\t\ton; avoid the disappointments of\n\t\tlife. Come on, move.'\n\n\tShe pushes a button on the remote, and we see the window\n\tcurtains open. BRIGHT SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN! We see that the\n\tT-shirt HELEN wears says \"Shrinks 'R' Us.\" She crosses to\n\tthe window with her glass of cognac, looks out.\n\n<b>\tVIEW:\n</b>\n\tA sweeping view of the bay, and across to Marin County. The\n\tmorning sun is dispelling the last of the night's fog.\n\tHELEN opens window, puts a hand outside, trying to <u>feel</u> the\n\tair, the freedom. Feeling quite restored from the dream\n\thorror of the night...\n\n<b>\tO.S., THE PHONE RINGS. HELEN. A FRISSON.\n</b>\n\tCLOSE: PHONE Her hand comes into FRAME and picks up the\n\thandset and carries CAMERA TO CLOSEUP HELEN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(carefully)\n\t\tYes?\n\t\t\t(listens)\n\t\tYou son-of-a-bitch! Son of\n\t\ta bitch...\n\n\tStiff with fear and rage, she slams down phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou <u>filthy</u>... <u>son of a bitch</u>!\n\n\tOn the computer screen behind her the Chessmaster makes his\n\tmove: the computer speaks in its tiny computer voice:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER\n</b>\t\t\t(filter)\n\t\tYou Queen is in check.\n\t\tProtect your Queen.\n\n<b>\tOVER CREDITS:\n</b>\n\tHOME MOVIE of a young woman dressed in a seat suit. It is\n\tmorning, and she is jogging on a park path. Her hair is in\n\ta long braid. She is sweating, breathing heavily, clearly\n\tnear the end of a satisfactory run.\n\n<b>\tTHE FILM REVERSES, THE FILM STARTS UP AGAIN IN EXTREMELY\n</b><b>\tSLOW MOTION. WE ARE NOW AWARE THERE IS ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW\n</b><b>\tAT WORK HERE.\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW THE FRAME FREEZES AT A POINT WHERE IT MAKES THE JOGGER'S\n</b><b>\tOPEN-MOUTHED DEEP BREATHING LOOK LIKE\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tEND TITLE AND CREDITS:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. RIFLE RANGE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tMUZZLE OF SEMI AUTOMATIC PISTOL BLASTS NINE SHOTS ALMOST\n</b><b>\tDIRECTLY INTO CAMERA. A BEAT OF SILENCE...\n</b>\n\tTHE TARGET: it is a silhouette of a man's head and torso;\n\tcentered in the right side of the upper chest, near the\n\tshoulder, is a small red circle. Still SMOKING, THE HOLES\n\tFROM THE BULLETS are scattered all over the chest, and none\n\tin the circle.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tMy third grade teacher at the\n\t\tconvent shot better than that.\n\n<b>\tTHE SHOOTER, RUBEN GOETZ, AND PARTNER M.J.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah, but she had divine guidance.\n\n\tWe now take in the shooter, RUBEN, and his companion M.J.\n\tHALLORAN. M.J. is a small, deceptively vulnerable looking\n\tyoung woman. She is neat, buttoned down, crisp. M.J.\n\tappears to be about twenty-five. She is, in fact,\n\tthirty-four and a homicide inspector with the rank of\n\tsergeant. She is usually dressed in slacks and a loose\n\tsweater or an oversize jacket that helps make her appear\n\teven smaller and younger than she is.\n\n\tRUBEN GOETZ is also in homicide, about twenty-six and junior\n\tin authority to M.J. RUBEN is good-looking, good-humored\n\tand laid back. He has a cellular phone attached to his\n\tbelt.\n\n<b>\tM.J. PULLS THE LINE THAT DOLLIES THE TARGET BACK TO THEM,\n</b><b>\tAND RUBEN REPLACES IT WITH ANOTHER AS THEY TALK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'd feel a whole <u>lot</u> safer with\n\t\tSister Loretta for my backup. Look\n\t\tat this guy: you shredded him!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWell, he's dead, he can't hurt me\n\t\tnow.\n\n\tThe target is rigged; they pull the line that dollies it back \n\tto shooting position.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's sloppy shooting. It's in\n\t\tcharacter, Ruben, but unnecessary.\n\t\tAnd bad for your career.\n\n\tRUBEN LETS OFF THREE QUICK SHOTS: they cluster nearer the\n\tcircle. M.J. looks at him in surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI've been practicing. Now can I\n\t\tkiss your tummy?\n\n\tM.J. hides her smile as she prepares her weapon for her turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPerp's holding a hostage, the\n\t\tshoulder on his gun hand is gonna\n\t\tbe exposed.\n\n\tSOUND: A CELLULAR PHONE (ON RUBENS' BELT). M.J. holds her\n\tfire.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm sure she thinks it is. Aren't\n\t\tyou at least interested in which\n\t\tone it is?\n\n\tShe's lost her concentration lowered the gun; now as he\n\tanswers, she raises her gun and aims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tI'm here, where are you?...\n\t\t<u>Heeeeyyy</u>! What a surprise! No. On\n\t\tduty, have to call you back... You,\n\t\ttoo, you too. My God, you made my\n\t\tday.\n\n\tHe hits the \"end\" button...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou hit the brachial nerve...\n\n\tSHE FIRES! The shots make a perfect heart around the circle,\n\tinside his looser pattern. ONE FINAL SHOT STRIKES EXACTLY\n<b>\tIN THE MIDDLE!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're good enough you'll never\n\t\thave to kill anyone. I joined the\n\t\tcops to save lives, not waste them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know, M.J., when I watch you\n\t\tshoot, I realize I've got a little\n\t\tproblem with my stance... could you\n\t\tjust move over here and critique my\n\t\tlegs?\n\n\tHe slaps his thigh where he indicates the trouble might be.\n\tShe is unloading her weapon...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe problem is between your legs.\n\t\tYou told your shrink about that?\n\n\tShe is unloading and cleaning up. Ruben doing the same...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI tell my shrink about <u>you</u>,\n\t\tSergeant. I tell him you're the\n\t\ttop cop of my dreams.\n\n\tRuben has been gathering up his box of doughnuts, from which\n\the has nibbled during the preceding... he drops them, picks\n\tone up off the floor and sticks it in his mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(putting away her\n\t\t\t gear)\n\t\tDon't take that mess in the car.\n\n\tThey're on the move; as they go away from us...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's in love with you already...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tThey pull up in front of an apartment building in the\n\tPacific Heights section. Patrol cars flank the street, the\n\tthick yellow ticker tape \"POLICE CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS\"\n\tis already up. M.J. double parks beside a blue-and-white.\n\tA couple of cars from the media are already there. SUSAN\n\tSCHIFFER a bulldog of a woman, and her camera crew, waylay\n\tM.J. and Ruben as they cross the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, Christ, the Mouth is already\n\t\there.\n\n\tShe is, with a cameraman with a haircut and smile that speak\n\tof a life of orthodontics and dreams of TV anchorship.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey. And there's the Haircut right\n\t\tbehind. If she stops short he's\n\t\tgonna be there feet up her ass...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t\t(on camera)\n\t\tInspector, can you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here myself, Susan.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...confirm this third murder adds\n\t\tup to a pattern? Do we have a\n\t\tserial killer on the loose in the\n\t\tcity?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just got here. Talk to you\n\t\tlater...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(as they escape behind the\n\t\t\t barrier tape)\n\t\tWhat the hell does she want to do,\n\t\tscare everybody to death?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThat's her job... Jesus, Quinn is\n\t\there already.\n\n\tQUINN, a splenetic Irishman, a politician, Chief of Homicide\n\tstands at the top of the steps leading to the front door.\n\tAs they climb up toward him...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI been waiting... I have to do\n\t\teverything myself. Photo, crime\n\t\ttech, the Coroner are already\n\t\tinside. The Landlady calls it in;\n\t\ttenant is not answering when\n\t\tcalled, she sticks her head in,\n\t\tsees the body, uses the deceased's\n\t\ttelephone to call 911. Otherwise\n\t\tnothing disturbed. It's all yours,\n\t\tkid. I'll take care of the Mouth\n\t\tand the Haircut.\n\n\tM.J. and Ruben enter...\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT HOUSE - HALL - DAY\n</b>\n\tFour uniformed cops stand in the hall securing the premises;\n\tat the back one cop stands by a stunned and tearful woman\n\tchain-smoking (the Landlady).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to cop)\n\t\tThat the Landlady?\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tYou wanna talk to her, Ruben?\n\t\t\t(back to cops)\n\t\tWho was first on the scene?\n\n\tMike answers her question by answering to Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tI was.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(forcefully)\n\t\tI'm over here? What's your name,\n\t\tOfficer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tMichael Johnson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou touch anything, Mike? Pick up\n\t\tanything? Use the doorknob? I\n\t\tdon't want to find your prints on\n\t\tanything later and you tell me you\n\t\tforgot to tell me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tNo. I didn't.\n\n\tShe glances at him, at the SLIGHTLY OLD INFLECTION ON THE \"I\n\tDIDN'T.\" But moves on, as Ruben goes to the Landlady...\n\n<b>\tINT. BATHROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe same YOUNG WOMAN we saw jogging, is now dead. Hair\n\tstill in a long braid. She wears only a blouse, open and\n\tpushed back. She is on her back in the bathtub, with one\n\tleg dangling over the side of the tub. The effect is\n\tslightly posed, but casual, relaxed.\n\n\tBending over her is DOC, the Coroner, WITHDRAWING A HUGE\n<b>\tMEAT THERMOMETER FROM HER SIDE.\n</b>\n\tM.J. APPEARS IN THE BACK OF THE SHOT taking in the scene.\n\tForeground, Doc reads the thermometer. The photographer is\n\tfinishing up his shots. The room is crowded. Two Coroner's\n\tmen wait in the doorway, a stretcher standing on end between\n\tthem; M.J. has to pass between them to come down to the\n\tbody. THROUGHOUT WE FOCUS ON M.J.'S FACE; HER REACTION TO\n<b>\tTHE SCENE, RATHER THAN DWELLING ON THE SCENE ITSELF. \n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\tON M.J.:\n</b><b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tDOC (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLiver and rigor are telling me\n\t\tabout eight hours. I'm gonna take\n\t\ther out now if it's alright.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm seeing ligature marks on her\n\t\tneck here, petechial hemorrhages in\n\t\ther eyes. Strangled.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tYou got it. Same as the other two.\n\n<b>\tTHE TELEPHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tTell whoever she can't come to the\n\t\tphone, she's all tied up.\n\n\tNobody laughs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's real old material, get a new\n\t\twriter...\n\n\tShe picks up the phone after the second ring, holding\n\tit in tissue someone hands her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\t\t(extremely cheerful)\n\t\tHello! This is Geena Martinez, how\n\t\tare you this morning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat is this about, Ms Martinez?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tI'm conducting a telephone survey\n\t\tto determine whether you're\n\t\tsatisfied with your insurance on\n\t\tyour personal valuables...\n\n\tM.J. gently hangs up the phone. She has been looking at the\n\tDead Woman... They pick up where they left off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tHe used something soft, like a\n\t\tstocking or a bathrobe tie.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody find it?\n\n\tNo answer as the Coroner's men crowd in beside M.J. to begin\n\tlifting the body out of the tub. M.J. takes one last look\n\tinto the dead woman's eyes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCover her up, please.\n\n<b>\tINT. HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n\tRuben still talking to the Landlady and taking notes. M.J.\n\tapproaches Mike... takes him aside...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMike. Why don't you tell me what's\n\t\tbothering you?\n\n\tMike is acutely uncomfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhatever it is, I'm gonna find out\n\t\tand sooner is a hell of lot better\n\t\tthan later.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tWell, there's something missing in\n\t\tthere. There was something around\n\t\ther neck when I came in there, but\n\t\tit's gone now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho came in after you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMIKE\n</b>\t\tLieutenant Quinn.\n\n\tShe seems relieved. Brightly:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's all right, then, Mike.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - DAY\n</b>\n\tIn the door, M.J. appears, looking out thoughtfully over the\n\tscene; Ruben appears behind her. The photographer is coming\n\tout...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Photographer)\n\t\tGet me good faces on the crowd\n\t\there. Get a couple of harness bulls\n\t\tto grab anybody who starts to\n\t\trun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPHOTOGRAPHER\n</b>\t\tDon't tell your Grandmother how to\n\t\tsuck eggs. I only been doing this\n\t\twork since your junior prom,\n\t\tdarling...\n\n\tBut M.J. is already on to other things.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALLWAY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE ON A FOLDED NEWSPAPER THAT LIES ON THE FLOOR FIVE OR\n</b><b>\tFIX FEET FROM THE DOOR TO HELEN'S APARTMENT. HOLD DOOR IN\n</b><b>\tB.G.\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen looks out, wasted from cognac and\n\tXanax. She looks for the newspaper and sees it with a look\n\tof despair.\n\n<b>\tHELEN'S POV\n</b>\n\tThe newspaper lies there, out of reach.\n\n<b>\tHELEN\n</b>\n\tAs she stretches out her foot toward the paper, can't reach\n\tit.\n\n\tPOV. As she moves out into the hall her agoraphobia\n\tmanifests itself: DISTORTED VISION THAT MAKES THE HALL\n<b>\tSTRETCH AND THE WALLS TAKE ON EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE;\n</b>\tSICKENING -- VERTIGO! The newspaper seems further away.\n\n\tHELEN She drops to her knees and tries to lean out further\n\tinto the hall...\n\n\tPOV. The floor seems to melt and roll in waves toward her.\n\tThe newspaper melts like a Dali watch.\n\n\tHELEN sweats. She lies flat on her stomach and crawls toward\n\tthe newspaper... and with a supreme effort grabs it and\n\tsquirms back inside.\n\n<b>\tINT. APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she slams the door shut on the hall, and sits gasping for\n\tbreath. After a moment she can bring herself to look at the\n\tnewspaper... INSERT:\n\n<b>\tPOLICE BAFFLED IN DEATHS OF THE WOMEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tDamn fools!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tQUINN is watching a portable TV screen with profound distrust.\n\tOnscreen is SUSAN SCHIFFER.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... continues to stonewall the\n\t\tpublic. Now...\n\n\tThere is a knock, but before QUINN can respond, M.J. enters.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the scene.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe and M.J. both listen to SUSAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t... third Bay Area woman has been\n\t\tstrangled, but the police continue\n\t\tto deny that this is the work of\n\t\tone killer. Lt. Thomas Quinn\n\t\tdeclares that the murders will be\n\t\ttreated as unrelated crimes, unless\n\t\tnew evidence...\n\n<b>\tM.J. TURNS OFF THE TV, FACES QUINN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou messed with the evidence.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI tagged the goddamned stocking.\n\t\tIt ain't lost. We're sequestering\n\t\tthat evidence. That's the trap some\n\t\tson of a bitch is going to fall\n\t\tinto...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAm I in charge of this thing? Or\n\t\tnot.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI said you were...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNH\n</b>\t\tThen I decided what evidence we\n\t\tchoose to sequester.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(a beat here)\n\t\tOkay. What do you want to\n\t\tsequester?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe stocking around the neck.\n\n\tA long moment of looking at each other. Then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou didn't say serial killer and I\n\t\tdidn't say serial killer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(not satisfied she\n\t\t\t really means it)\n\t\tThis is the anniversary of the\n\t\tsummer of love and your city\n\t\tfathers have declared a Festival of\n\t\tLove. The Mayor and Chamber of\n\t\tCommerce don't want TV announcing\n\t\tkillers on the loose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRight.\n\n\tAnd she starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWe're gonna have a bunch of clapped\n\t\tout old hippies blissing on the\n\t\tGrateful Dead! Sleeping in the\n\t\tpark, smoking dope and sticking\n\t\ttulips up their ass.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(exiting)\n\t\tGood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tThis large room is very busy, many officers at work. Known\n\tsexual offenders have been rounded up. False confessors add\n\tto the crowd. Detectives who are not dealing with these\n\tpeople are making and taking calls. At this desk, a tall\n\tintense looking Detective, NICCOLETTI, interrogates a false\n\tconfessor, a man who looks like a businessman...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHarvey, I don't want you in here no\n\t\tmore, making false statements...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tThey are not false. We pay for\n\t\tcity government like this, you\n\t\tdon't even care about the truth?!\n\t\tI killed her in the bathtub.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhy?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONFESSOR\n</b>\t\tBecause she was dirty, a dirty\n\t\tgirl!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHow? How did you do it, Harvey?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHARVEY\n</b>\t\tWith a knife?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGood guess, but not good enough.\n\t\tGet the fuck outta here...\n\n\tHe has stood as M.J. passes coming from Quinn's office. He\n\tfalls into stride with her through the crowded scene... He\n\tis sweaty and sniffs his armpits as a matter of general\n\thygiene checkup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWhat am I wasting my time with this\n\t\tshit for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause it's your job, that's all.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tNot what I meant; why <u>me</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(cutting)\n\t\tMaybe it's something you did in\n\t\tthis life, Nikko...\n\n\tIt has the flavor of a spoiled intimacy, an unfinished\n\targument... He pantomimes she got him with a poison dart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tGot me. That really hurt! You...\n\n\tRuben joins them; Nikko stifles and turns away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tGet Mercer to run the medical,\n\t\tdental, legal bills, laundry and\n\t\tdry cleaning receipts, extermin-\n\t\tators, mailmen, grocery and\n\t\tdrugstore deliveries, handymen,\n\t\tplumbers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's mostly done, they got nobody\n\t\tin common, the three of them... No\n\t\tmutual friends -- the Landlady says\n\t\tnobody was ever there, she never\n\t\tsaw her with anybody.\n\n\tThey are approaching PACHULSKI'S desk. PACHULSKI is on\n\tphone. Pachulski is looking at M.J., grinning...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tYes, ma'am, I know. You can't talk\n\t\ther right now... because she's \n\t\tbusy, she's all tied up.\n\t\t\t(sotto to M.J.)\n\t\tDeep Throat's back.\n\n\tHe hits the speaker phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFEMALE PHONE VOICE\n</b>\t\tThis is the third one. You've got\n\t\ta serial killer here. When are you\n\t\tgoing to start <u>warning</u> people?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(whispering)\n\t\tFourteen calls from this broad.\n\t\tAnd she ain't stupid.\n\n\tM.J. signals for GIGI to trace the call. Takes the phone,\n\tswitches off the speaker...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on phone\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho is this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, Homicide. I'm\n\t\tin charge here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPACHULSKI\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tAsk her about the moon bike.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm really interested in your\n\t\tideas. The moon bike. What <u>is</u>\n\t\tthat?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat is wrong with you people?\n\t\tThe first two, I thought he might\n\t\tbe on a lunar cycle because they\n\t\twere 28 days apart, but obviously\n\t\tnot. This new one is only two\n\t\tweeks.\n\n\tPachulski is delighted at the joke he's played on M.J., M.J.\n\tnot so much... Gigi signals they're getting it.\n\n\t\t\t\tHELEN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou want to joke about moonbikes?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNo, ma'am. This is no joke. And\n\t\tneither is tying up telephone lines\n\t\tto police with crank calls while\n\t\tpeople in trouble are trying to get\n\t\tthrough for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're calling me a crank?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo you have any evidence to report,\n\t\tma'am? Do you know any of the\n\t\tvictims...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think this is number three...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over her)\n\t\tThat's an opinion, not evidence...\n\n\tGigi hands her a slip of paper... M.J. reads it... glares\n\tat Pachulski who is still laughing. M.J. knows the name on\n\tthe slip of paper...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(covers the phone)\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Get Ruben back\n\t\there?\n\n\tAs she turns back to the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN, now wearing slippers and shorts with the same T-shirts\n\tshe slept in, is standing behind the living room curtains\n\tlooking down at the street. She hears a code knock, then a\n\tkey turns in the lock. She moves to greet ANDY her\n\tassistant and friend. ANDY is laden down with groceries and\n\tmail. HELEN immediately reaches a hand up to touch his\n\tface...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere were you? Don't tell me.\n\t\tIt's just under seventy, right? The\n\t\tsun is strong but the air is dry\n\t\tand fresh...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWould you please get your hands off\n\t\tmy face, Tallulah? What happened\n\t\tto the newspaper?\n\n\tHe withdraws a popsicle from the bag, offers it to her.\n\tWhen she rejects it, he takes it for himself.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI got it myself... I couldn't wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWell! Aren't we the daring one?\n\t\tWhat's morbid and ghastly enough in\n\t\tthe news to make Doctor Helen set\n\t\tfoot outside her door? The antenna\n\t\tis gone off her car again. I had\n\t\tno music, all the way to the\n\t\tmarket. Let me find a garage for\n\t\tit?\n\n\tThey're in the kitchen area; Andy unpacking stuff...\n\texpensive goodies...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI've told you: I can't afford to\n\t\tgarage it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tAre you kidding? You buy enough\n\t\tgourmet junk every week... most of\n\t\twhich <u>rots</u>... to garage a fleet of\n\t\tstretch limos.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI had the dream again.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd I got another call. This time\n\t\the spoke. He said \"You and me, you\n\t\tand me.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tA little heavy breathing is what\n\t\tmost of us yearn for. <u>Forget</u> it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe whispered, but it was <u>him</u>! I\n\t\tknow it was him!\n\n\tAndy now stops to address this seriously...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHe can't phone you unless the\n\t\twarden gets an okay from you. Did\n\t\tyou give him an approval?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy? When a three-year-old says\n\t\tthere's a monster under the bed,\n\t\tyou don't say 'forget it'. You\n\t\tlook under the bad.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm three years old. Call the\n\t\tprison.\n\n\tHer fear is so palpable, she is so nakedly vulnerable it\n\tbreaks his heart. He puts his arms around her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh God. I'm really crazy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen was the last time you washed\n\t\tyour hair?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(shaky, but trying)\n\t\tMonsieur Andy, disapproves of my\n\t\tcoiffure?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMonsieur Andy can <u>smell</u> your\n\t\tcoiffure. And guess what else?\n\n\tHe pats her thighs... she walks to the window as he talks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tCellulite. What do you say I\n\t\tblindfold you and take you to the\n\t\tgym. Aerobics with housewives...\n\n<b>\tHELEN AT WINDOW\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAndy?\n\n\tAndy has heard this tone before: panic attack alert.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHere we go again.\n\n<b>\tANGLE AT WINDOW TO INCLUDE THEIR POV OF STREET\n</b>\n\tIn a parked car a man is reading a newspaper that hides his\n\tface. Behind him is parked a slightly beat up red Saab.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou parked right behind him. The\n\t\tone I noticed earlier. I didn't\n\t\tsay anything, I thought he'd leave.\n\t\tJust take a look.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh my God! Help! HE'S READING A\n<b>\t\tNEWSPAPER!\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut earlier, he was staring up\n\t\there. <u>Please</u>, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOkay. You win. 'Dirty Harry'\n\t\tcoming up.\n\n\tANDY leaves the apartment.\n\n<b>\tEXT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S BUILDING - DAY\n</b>\n\tThe heavy old industrial door is pushed slightly open, ANDY\n\tpeers out, sees:\n\n\tANDY crosses behind the car and then sneaks back, coming\n\tup to Driver's side window, surprising the Driver.\n<b>\tTHE NEWSPAPER DROPS: IT'S RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tExcuse me, but would you mind\n\t\texplaining why you're watching the\n\t\tlady upstairs?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNone of your fucking business.\n\n\tUsurping RUBEN'S aggressive attitude, ANDY leans his face\n\tclose to RUBEN'S window.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tListen, asshole, I've got a gun...\n\n\tRUBEN grabs ANDY by the collar and yanks his head inside the\n\tcar. With the other hand he pulls his gun and pushes it up\n\tANDY'S nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI hate this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOnly kidding!\n\n\tRUBEN pushes the 'up' button on the window, capturing ANDY'S\n\thead in a deadlock. Then he opens the door, gets out, slams\n\tdoor, forcing the squawking ANDY into a helpless frisk\n\tposition. We HEAR HELEN scream, (O.S.). Ignoring this,\n\tRUBEN begins to frisk ANDY.\n\n<b>\tM.J. APPROACHING IN HER OWN CAR, SEES THE ACTION, BRAKES\n</b><b>\tFAST AND GETS OUT.\n</b>\n\tHELEN at window, shouting.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm calling the police!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tAndy enters, followed by Ruben and M.J., who holds up her\n\tbadge to Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInvestigators Halloran and Goetz. I\n\t\tapologize for Goetz, he's a\n\t\tfirehouse dog.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to defuse)\n\t\tI'm okay. I really kind of enjoyed\n\t\tit.\n\n\tUncomfortable silence for a beat as they try to take in\n\twhat's happening, who's who and what's what. Helen is\n\tconfused, fighting back fear...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(trying to communicate\n\t\t\t here)\n\t\tRing the gong, he goes. Poor\n\t\timpulse control.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs he out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tIf he's not out, why are they here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause of your phone calls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat calls? I haven't made any\n\t\tcalls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to distract)\n\t\tAre you staying long? Shall I shut\n\t\tthe door? Make your coffee? Make\n\t\tthe beds?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tYou talked to me. Do you remember?\n\n\tThe two women measure each other, Helen struggling to\n\tcontrol herself. A beat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were the one that talked about\n\t\tmoonbikes and called me a crank?\n\t\tOh God, I <u>am</u>!\n\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tMake them some coffee.\n\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tHalloran, is it? Investigator\n\t\tGoetz? I had a crank call myself--\n\t\the said...\n\t\t\t(a moment of real\n\t\t\t fear)\n\t\tI thought it might be Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I thought he might be out\n\t\tof prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum? I don't think\n\t\tso. If he's escaped we'd have the\n\t\tNational Guard, cops'd be crawling\n\t\tthrough sewers. You'd have a guard\n\t\ton your front door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking around)\n\t\tI want to tell you it's a great\n\t\thonor to meet you and talk to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou don't admire me. No police\n\t\tadmire me. I got one of you\n\t\tkilled. Why don't you say right\n\t\tout what you're here for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> called <u>us</u>, Doctor Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes, I did. Poor impulse control.\n\t\tThe accounts of the firs two\n\t\tmurders made it so clear they were\n\t\tthe work of the same man, but you\n\t\tkept announcing they were\n\t\tunrelated. You'll never catch him\n\t\tthat way.\n\n\tM.J. regards her for a moment...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Andy)\n\t\tSugar and cream for Goetz; I take\n\t\tmine black.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou're absolutely correct. The\n\t\tpoliticians don't want panic\n\t\theadlines spoiling the Festival of\n\t\tLove.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell, let's thank God you and\n\t\tInspector Goetz are on the case,\n\t\tthen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWould you want to work with us on\n\t\tthis?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, my God, no! I'm a clinical\n\t\thysteric, with panic syndrome, and\n\t\tanxiety neurosis, agoraphobic, I'm\n\t\tafraid of everything, real and\n\t\timaginary. I never leave this\n\t\tapartment now. Nobody ever comes\n\t\there. I just wanted to get your\n\t\tattention. I write and I used to\n\t\tlecture on these crimes, but... I'm\n\t\tnot competent.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI think you are. I really admire\n\t\teverything you've done; it would be\n\t\tan honor to work with you, and we\n\t\tneed all the help we can get,\n\t\tespecially yours.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran, that is so much\n\t\tbullshit, you don't like or admire\n\t\tme, but the beautiful part is I\n\t\tdon't give a fuck. That's the\n\t\tupside of having a breakdown.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, it's a hell of an apartment\n\t\tyou got here. I'm living one step\n\t\taway from the projects, myself, but\n\t\tI get to go to work every day,\n\t\twading in blood and guts. I guess\n\t\tthe books you wrote about these\n\t\tsons of bitches paid off pretty\n\t\tgood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you go. Andy, make them go.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou can't go out lecturing? Tough\n\t\tshit. Women are dying. Where can\n\t\tI lay this stuff out?\n\n\tShe dumps files of photos, etc., out on Helen's cocktail\n\ttable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't want this. What are they?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou called us, Doctor, if you don't\n\t\twant to look at them here, how\n\t\tabout downtown. I'll drive you\n\t\tdown...\n\n\tShe pushes the pictures off onto the floor, tries to get up\n\tto leave the room. M.J. and Ruben are both appalled at the\n\tforce of what is happening: an all-out panic attack...\n\n\tAndy races t o the kitchen; Ruben tries to help but Helen\n\tfights him off viciously, gasping for air... Andy races\n\tback in with a PLASTIC BAG HE PULLS OVER HELEN'S HEAD AND\n\tFACE... She hyperventilates into the bag...\n\n\tTHE PLASTIC BAG BALLOONS OUT AND BACK IN HELEN'S FACE until\n\tshe faints. Andy deals with it like an everyday event,\n\ttreating her very gently...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tNow look what you did.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat did I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou threatened to drive her\n\t\tdowntown. She has agoraphobia.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tFear of what...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOpen space. She hasn't been out of\n\t\tthis apartment in three years. I\n\t\tdidn't used to think it was real...\n\n\tHe's making her comfortable.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll get the paramedics...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tOh, God, uniforms, more stress.\n\t\tLet her sleep. It's a self-limiting:\n\t\tshe hyperventilates till she passes\n\t\tout, then her breathing goes back\n\t\tto normal, and she wakes up singing\n\t\tlike a lark.\n\t\t\t(rocking the\n\t\t\t unconscious Helen)\n\t\tWe know, don't we, Princess?\n\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tGive her a couple of hours. I know\n\t\tabout this.\n\n\tM.J. starts to gather up the pictures and files. She is\n\tangry and disgusted.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her we're sorry we bothered\n\t\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHey, no. Leave those here. If you\n\t\treally want her help. I mean if\n\t\tyou really do, leave them. Let her\n\t\tsee them. I'll see they're safe...\n\n\tM.J. takes in the scene; the now soundly sleeping Helen;\n\tAndy sitting over her protectively, the files and photos\n\tstrewn around. Makes a decision...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her to ask for me...\n\n\tShe's handing Andy her card...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. AND RUBEN come out in the street... CAMERA IN A HIGH\n<b>\tANGLE LOOKING DOWN ON THEM...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSnotty neurotic bitch...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(amused)\n\t\tClassy madonna.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSure. She likes <u>you</u>, Rube. She\n\t\tlikes the way you move. She sure\n\t\tas hell isn't in love with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou came in there with this\n\t\tattitude...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(over him)\n\t\tOrder Chinese for us and meet me\n\t\tthe library? Anything but beef.\n\n\tShe jumps in her car, still steaming, leaving Ruben to move\n\tto his car. AS HE MOVES CAMERA FOLLOWS, BECOMING A WIDER\n<b>\tANGLE TO INCLUDE FACADE OF HELEN'S APARTMENT.\n</b>\n\tWe can SEE ANDY, SITTING WHERE WE LEFT HIM, HOLDING HELEN IN\n<b>\tHIS ARMS. SHE SLEEPS PEACEFULLY. DISTANTLY WE HEAR THE\n</b><b>\tPHONE RING. ANDY SHOWS IMPATIENCE, THEN CAREFULLY\n</b><b>\tDISENGAGES FROM HELEN SO AS NOT TO DISTURB HER SLEEP.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM UNTIL HE IS OUT OF FRAME. THE SHOT\n</b><b>\tHOLDS ON HELEN FOR A BEAT. PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE CAMERA PANS LEFT (OUR FIRST CLUE THIS IS ANOTHER\n</b><b>\tPOINT OF VIEW) ACROSS TO A SECOND WINDOW WHERE IT CATCHES\n</b><b>\tANDY MOVING UNTIL WE AGAIN DISAPPEARS BEHIND THE BUILDING\n</b><b>\tWALL AND THE CAMERA PANS SMOOTHLY TO THE THIRD WINDOW, WHERE\n</b><b>\tANDY ENTERS. WE SEE HIM PICK UP THE PHONE AND SPEAK INTO\n</b><b>\tIT. HE SEEMS IMPATIENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A CELLULAR PHONE, F.G. AND FOCUS\n</b><b>\tRACKS TO E.C.U. AS A FINGER PUSHES THE \"END\" BUTTON.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: ANDY\n</b>\n\tPutting down the phone. Irritated...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShit...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: AN ATTORNEY IN COURT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t... it was your feeling after\n\t\tcareful evaluation that he was a\n\t\tsexual sadist who satisfied at\n\t\tleast four out of ten criteria in\n\t\tthe DMS III?\n\n\tSHOW M.J. and Ruben watching videotapes, and eating Chinese\n\ttakeout. HELEN is being interrogated by the ATTORNEY for\n\tDaryll Lee Cullum. Helen sure of herself to the point of\n\tarrogance, which is her undoing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Without question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWithout question? He only scored\n\t\t40 percent, four out of ten\n\t\tcriteria? Couldn't another expert\n\t\tsay he <u>flunked</u> the sexual sadist\n\t\ttest? What curve are you marking\n\t\ton, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe test criteria are only part of\n\t\twhat we look at in evaluating\n\t\tsubjects.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tOnly part. What else? What did\n\t\tyou think of his claim that he tied\n\t\tthis girl to the tree and set fire\n\t\tto her because Joan of Arc told him\n\t\tto do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t'Lying. He was lying.' I asked\n\t\tyou what you thought, not what he\n\t\tdid.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI thought he was lying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tYou said, first, he was lying. How\n\t\tdo you know that, Doctor?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause people who are suffering\n\t\tfrom aural hallucinations hear\n\t\tvoices in both ears. Daryll Lee\n\t\ttold me that Joan of Arc always\n\t\tappeared beside him on his left\n\t\tside and spoke softly in his left\n\t\tear.\n\n\tMurmur of subdued laughter in court.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(emboldened)\n\t\tHe took pains to hide his actions\n\t\tbecause he knew they were morally\n\t\twrong. He was not acting on mad\n\t\timpulse. He was sane and acting\n\t\tout a pattern he carefully followed\n\t\tevery time.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\t\t(playing causal)\n\t\tWhat pattern was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe same as the first time...\n\n\tShe catches herself. The D.A. has leapt to his feet, but now\n\ttries to sit down as though nothing was happening, but\n\tHelen, the Attorney and the D.A. all are clearly disturbed\n\tby the line this questioning is taking.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tThe first what?\n\t\t\t(as she hesitates)\n\t\tYour Honor, she's got this far, I\n\t\tthink she should finish. I don't\n\t\tthink this jury should be left\n\t\twondering where the rest of her\n\t\tstatement would lead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE\n</b>\t\tI agree, Doctor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe first two murders.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhat first two murders. We don't\n\t\tknow about them here, do we?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(giving up)\n\t\tHe told me he had done two others\n\t\tjust like it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tWhen was that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhen he was seventeen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tATTORNEY\n</b>\t\tAnd you believed him when he told\n\t\tyou he had done that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I believed him.\n\n\tThe D.A. is rushing to the bench to argue with the Judge.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tJUDGE (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tYes, I'll accept a call for a\n\t\tmistrial. Evidence of that other\n\t\tcrime when the defendant was a\n\t\tjuvenile is inadmissible and never\n\t\tshould have been heard by this\n\t\tjury...\n\n<b>\tFREEZE FRAMES.\n</b>\n\tNOW WE SEE M.J. AND RUBEN LOOKING AT HELEN on the TV screen,\n<b>\tTHINKING...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DOOR OPENS AND QUINN ENTERS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThere was no sperm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe same as the firs two.\n\t\tDefinitely a serial.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(seeing HELEN on\n\t\t\t video)\n\t\tWhat are you looking at that for?\n\t\tHelen Hudson. Work the clues.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat clues? I'm going to work\n\t\tHelen Hudson.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWould you step outside, Sergeant?\n\n\tM.J. leaves a cautiously silent RUBEN. Once the door shuts,\n\the turns tape back to 'play.'\n\n<b>\tEXT. OUTSIDE DOOR TO LIBRARY - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'm <U>telling</u> you. Don't you <u>ever</u>\n\t\taddress me publicly in that tone.\n\t\tYou'll work what and <u>who</u> I tell you\n\t\tto work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody in this department ever\n\t\tworked a serial killer case? She's\n\t\tthe expert. I need help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow about I put Nikko on it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's always your privilege, sir.\n\n\tQUINN snorts, starts on his way, then turns back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSergeant?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou ever reflect how this big\n\t\texplosion in dead women coincides\n\t\twith the flowering of women's lib?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYessir. I have reflected on that,\n\t\tsir. Which explains my gushing\n\t\tdeference to you, sir.\n\n\tQUINN is somehow cheered by this little exchange.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko's looking better by the\n\t\tminute, Inspector.\n\n\tHe stomps off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN on couch, ANDY is massaging her neck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God. I must have looked\n\t\thorrible.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tNo, dear. You're at your best with\n\t\ta bag in front of your face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI want to die.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI wouldn't. He'll be back. If you\n\t\twant him. The cute brutal type\n\t\twith handcuffs. Very sexy.\n\n\tHELEN grins, and ANDY starts to tickle her, she laughs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou thought he was cute too, didn't\n\t\tyou? Admit... admit...\n\n\tHELEN now laughing a little too hard. Suddenly the laughter\n\tchanges to tears.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhat? What'd I do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tReminded me that I used to be\n\t\tattractive. That men used to want\n\t\tme...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tYou <u>slut</u>! No sexy young cop for\n\t\tyou unless you shampoo your hair.\n\n\tShe clings desperately to him. He rocks her as he would a\n\tsmall child.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tWhen are you going to call them?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(big beat)\n\t\tAbout what?\n\n\tANDY PRODUCES THE FILE M.J. LEFT WITH HIM. Helen looks at\n\tit. Andy watches her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI can't, Andy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThen, why don't you just die. I'm\n\t\tgoing. They'll find your body\n\t\tyears later, the old recluse lady,\n\t\tshe ate cat food, ten years of the\n\t\tNew York Times, unread, piled on\n\t\ttop of the unread mail, the TV\n\t\tstill on. Make up your mind. Live\n\t\tor die.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll get coffee.\n\n\tHe exits. After a moment fighting her fears, Helen reaches\n\tfor the file. She opens it and looks at the first picture.\n\tTHE PHONE RINGS. She freezes... Panic hangs in the air...\n\tAndy answers the phone in the kitchen...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYes? Inspector Halloran, she's\n\t\tgoing through the material now.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tShe'll call you... No, she'll be\n\t\talright, I'll sleep over on the\n\t\tcouch in case. But now, I told\n\t\tyou, singing like a lark.\n\n\tHangs up. After a moment Helen bends to her work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE LIBRARY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. scanning microfilm newspaper & magazine clips.\n\n<b>\t'COOL KILLER CULLUM'\n</b><b>\tCONS COPS IN ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY\n</b>\n\tSlew police bodyguard in attack on expert witness\n\n\tM.J. hears NIKKO entering, looks up, gives him a half-smile,\n\treturns her attention to the microfilm.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWorking late.\n\t\t\t(no response)\n\t\tYou're a damn fool.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(preoccupied)\n\t\tOh, I know.\n\n<b>\t\"ANOTHER ATTACK!\"\n</b><b>\t\"HUDSON VICTIM OF BLOODY ATTACK. BODYGUARD SLAIN!\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're almost ten years older than\n\t\the is.\n\n\tM.J. turns off the microfilm. The last headline is retained\n\ton screen:\n\n<b>\t\"ESCAPE KILLER CLAIMS NEW VICTIM\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tIt's none of my business anymore...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou got that right, Nikko, it's\n\t\tnone of your business.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou're shitting ion your career. You\n\t\toutrank hi...\n\n\tM.J. looks at him at last with wry amusement: he's jealous \n\tof Ruben?\n<b>\t\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWell, you outranked <u>me</u>, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah. And you used that. Used <u>me</u>\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't put yourself down like that.\n\t\tI <u>never</u> used you. I worked my way\n\t\tup like a marine grunt!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYeah, you did that too. You earned\n\t\twhat you got; don't shit on it,\n\t\tthat's all I'm saying.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(maddeningly)\n\t\tGod, you're cute when you're mad.\n\n\tThe door opens and RUBEN enters, instantly takes in the\n\tscene: M.J. sitting in front of a stalled machine, NIKKO,\n\tlooming over her. After an awkward beat, NIKKO heads for\n\tthe door. Ignoring RUBEN, he barks at M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tThink about it.\n\n\tRUBEN regards M.J., who busies herself examining the other\n\ttapes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's wrong with him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe's just mad he let me keep the\n\t\tespresso machine. We heard from\n\t\tDoctor Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNada. Lemme make the call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHonest to God, Ruben!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI like women like that!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell it to your shrink.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTIAL AREA - LATE DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tIN THE UNMISTAKABLE STYLE OF THE CAMERA EYE WE HAVE SEEN\n</b><b>\tSHOOTING HELEN'S PLACE, IN THE PARK, ETC.: A YOUNG\n</b>\tRED-HEADED WOMAN, wearing shorts and an open-necked shirt,\n\tkneels on the grass, weeding a lush flowerbed. The CAMERA\n\tSWISHHPANS TO the back door of the house as a man comes out\n\tbalancing a tray with drinks. The woman gives the man a\n\tdazzling smile, removes her gardening glove and takes a\n\tglass. Her husband bends down, gives her a little kiss.\n\tShe beams. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tCLOSE UP: early crime scene photos.\n\n<b>\tWE SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FIRST TWO MURDER VICTIMS, SO\n</b><b>\tWE SEE THE PATTERN HELEN DESCRIBES AND ANALYZES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe way he's posed the bodies...\n\t\the's flaunting his power to do\n\t\twhatever he wants to her. This\n\t\tman... He probably seems perfectly\n\t\tnormal. These murders are organized\n\t\tand planned.\n\n<b>\tWE ARE NOW SEEING THE ROOM: M.J. AND RUBEN, HELEN AT A TABLE\n</b>\tIN HER OFFICE LAYING OUT THE PICTURES. Helen picks out one\n\tpicture from the rest...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tExcept for this one. You put that\n\t\tone in to test me.\n\n\tM.J. nods, pleased with HELEN>\n\n\tINSERT: THE PICTURE. The victim's body is covered with\n\tbruises. But, unlike the others, her face has been covered.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIs it an ongoing case?\n\n<b>\tBACK TO SCENE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(nods)\n\t\tFor months... last October.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt was a lover or a husband.\n\t\tSomeone close. Somebody who knew\n\t\ther and cared about her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(glancing at Ruben)\n\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt remorse. He covered her.\n\n\tHELEN arranges and rearranges photos like tarot cards.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe bodies have been carefully\n\t\tarranged... different positions,\n\t\tbut somehow the same. The\n\t\tpositions are brutal... yet\n\t\tquite... artful. It's like... a\n\t\tsignature. He's proud of his\n\t\taccomplishments. There are early\n\t\tPicassos and late Picassos, but you\n\t\talways recognize the hand. He\n\t\twants us to recognize <u>his</u> hand.\n\t\tI've seen this hand before... what\n\t\tare you hiding?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(taken aback)\n\t\tNothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are the stockings he\n\t\tstrangled them with?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you know they were\n\t\tstockings?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(sarcastic)\n\t\tI sent Andy out on murder missions.\n\t\tFor God's sake -- it's the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, Alber deSalvo. He used\n\t\ttheir own stockings to strangle\n\t\tthem. Tied in a bow-knot.\n\n\tShe gets down a file from her bookcase and flops it open to\n\tpictures of deSalvo's victims: they are identical...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tSomebody is imitating his m.o.\n\t\tLook for a plumber or carpenter or\n\t\thandyman; that's how deSalvo got in\n\t\tthe door and caught them off guard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe Boston Strangler, when was\n\t\tthat...?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIn the sixties. He's dead --\n\t\tstabbed to death in prison.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy imitate a dead serial killer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you knew why, you might know\n\t\twhere to look for him.\n\t\tI don't envy you this; he's not\n\t\tdone -- he's going to do them faster\n\t\tand faster to keep the adrenaline\n\t\trush. Now, I've done what you \n\t\tasked me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWork with me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's good for you.\n\n\tThey are startled by his appearance! A little unsettling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's good medicine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tA little homeopathic cure for the\n\t\twillies.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(exhausted)\n\t\tNone of you know anything about it.\n\t\tNow go. And Andy, if you persist\n\t\tin playing doctor, leave, with\n\t\tthem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI'm the only friend you've got,\n\t\tdarling, and I don't intend to stop\n\t\tdoing what I think is good for us.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGet out! All of you!\n\n\tAndy helps M.J. and Ruben scoop up the files...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou said you don't give a fuck and\n\t\tthat's the beauty of a breakdown?\n\t\tThis doesn't look like not giving a\n\t\tfuck, you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet's get out of here...\n\n<b>\tINT. HALL - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs they leave, Andy is still at the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(small voice)\n\t\tAndy! Please. Don't <u>you</u> go!\n\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAw, Jesus. The Mouth gets a load\n\t\tof this and we got major headlines\n\t\taround the world. deSalvo redux.\n\t\tThe matter, you think they don't\n\t\tteach Latin in Catholic schools?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't swear at me because we got\n\t\tproblems. I'm just giving you the\n\t\tnews. I went to a Catholic school;\n\t\tI'll tell you what they teach. On\n\t\tthe knuckles they teach.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWho've I got to beat up except the\n\t\tmessenger? Does this give us\n\t\tanything to go on?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm checking out anybody who lives\n\t\tlike DeSalvo. Records of arrests\n\t\tfor rape, especially by a man\n\t\twearing green. Checking out\n\t\tpsychiatric hospitals for his\n\t\tpersonality profile. Cross check-\n\t\ting names from arrests for sexual\n\t\toffenses, public fondling. If\n\t\tthey've got a German wife. We can\n\t\tkeep cops working on this kind of\n\t\tjunk for years, and this guy's\n\t\tgoing to hit again, soon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(morose)\n\t\tI know. Get out here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo. Do we tell the media and hope\n\t\tfor somebody to come forward with\n\t\tinformation?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOr for some new nutcase to copycat\n\t\tthe copycat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I love, the big fight, some\n\t\tgirl, she drops the quarter on her\n\t\tboyfriend so the bastard spends the\n\t\tnight in custody, just to teach him\n\t\ta lesson. We'll get a shitload of\n\t\tthose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tAnother country heard from.\n\t\t\t(deciding)\n\t\tNo. We're keeping it quiet, don't\n\t\tgive the bastard the attention he's\n\t\tmaybe begging for.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN sits at side-by-side computers. The chess game is\n\tagain in progress.\n\n\tHELEN makes a move. Pleased with herself, she smiles,\n\ttypes, \"I'm creaming you.\"\n\n\tSuddenly over HELEN'S shoulder, the other screen becomes\n\tactive, we see 'Message for Helen Hudson.'\n\n\tEngrossed in her own chess game, she does not notice the\n\tscreen until, tense from sitting too long, with waiting for\n\tCHESSMASTER'S move, HELEN begins to stretch her neck and\n\ttoll her head. Now, out of the corner of her eye, she sees\n\tthe other screen. Quickly, she clicks on this, and the\n\tscreen prints out 'A GAME FOR DR. HUDSON PLEASE RUN THIS\n<b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" FILE ON YOUR PLAYER.'\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN TYPES 'WIN' AND WINDOWS SCREEN COMES UP. WITH THE\n</b><b>\tMOUSE SHE CLICKS ON THE AVI PLAYER ICON, TYPES IN\n</b><b>\t\"TOMORROW.AVI\" AND HITS ENTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tA PICTURE APPEARS: IT IS THE FACE OF THE WOMAN IN THE\n</b><b>\tBATHTUB. IT CHANGES AFTER A TENTH OF A SECOND MORPHING\n</b>\tTHROUGH A COLLAGE OF IMAGES OF TWO WOMEN. A hand emerges\n\tfrom a breast of the other. Two heads. One, properly on\n\tits own neck, the other emerging from between two legs.\n\tHands, feet, breasts, hair of two bodies mixed mischievously\n\tinto one FINAL IMAGE OF A SECOND WOMAN ALIVE AND SMILING\n\tECSTATICALLY AT THE CAMERA. Both women wear their hair in\n\tlong braids.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT WITH HELEN: APPALLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tANDY LIES WITH TV ON, NAKED, GIVING HIMSELF A PEDICURE. HE\n</b>\tHAS EARPHONES TO MUFFLE THE TV SOUND. From the dark spaces\n\tof the loft there\n\n\tECHOES A SCREAM OF SHEER TERROR FROM HELEN! After a beat from he\n\trealizes, tears off the earphones and bolts into the\n\tdarkness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT HOUSE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPOLICE CARS DRAW UP IN FRONT, DOUBLE PARKING. M.J. and Ruben\n\tjump out and walk, fast, toward the building... (Shot from\n\tsame high angle -- the secret watcher's POV -- from which we\n\tsaw M.J. and Ruben leave after their first visit.)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY\n</b>\n\tAS HER DOOR IS OPENED, by Andy. Ruben and M.J. enter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's in the office...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n\tThe computer glow, the unfinished chess game still up, and\n\tthe RED-HEADED WOMAN'S joyful face on the other. HELEN SITS\n<b>\tIN A CHAIR WITH HER BACK TO THE SCREEN, ROCKING BACK AND\n</b>\tFORTH, suppressing her fear by sheer will. M.J. and Ruben\n\tenter with Andy... they look at the face on the computer\n\tscreen... (this is the only light in the room).\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's the face of the next one\n\t\the'll kill.\n\n\tShe hasn't looked at them or the computer... SHE ROCKS...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow do you know that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(can't look at it)\n\t\tLook at the bottom of the screen.\n\t\tYou see the icon with the arrow\n\t\tpointing left? Click on that...\n\t\ttwice.\n\n\tRUBEN (FROM A MISSPENT YOUTH IN VIDEO ARCADES) expertly\n\tmaneuvers the mouse and clicks on the icon as instructed.\n<b>\tNOW THE ANIMATED COLLAGE PLAYS BACKWARD! IN TENTH OF A\n</b><b>\tSECOND STEPS WE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE RED-HEADED WOMAN MERGE\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD THROUGH THE DISTORTED IMAGES AND BECOME\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE DEAD WOMAN IN THE BATHTUB.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. AND RUBEN REACTING, LIGHTED BY THE GLOW FROM THE SCREEN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow did you do that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat computer's wired into\n<b>\t\tINTERNET.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe's hacked into her Internet\n\t\taddress. He's a hacker.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(rocking, rocking)\n\t\tHe can get into my computer any\n\t\ttime he likes! This is exactly the\n\t\tkind of thing I didn't want to have\n\t\thappen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCan you make a copy we can show on\n\t\tour computers?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's too big a file to copy to a\n\t\tdisk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou got a tape backup, yeah, here\n\t\tlemme copy it on tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhy would he send this to Helen\n\t\tHudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's a game they like to play.\n\t\tBerkowitz -- \"Son of Sam\" -- hung\n\t\taround the crime scene, talking to\n\t\tthe cops. This one's probably\n\t\twatching <u>you</u>, laughing at you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLet me get a little action started\n\t\there.\n\n\tM.J. nods to him to get along... He calls on his cellular\n\tphone while simultaneously working the computer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm going to put a guard on your\n\t\tdoor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOne officer already got killed\n\t\ttrying to protect me. Please, just\n\t\ttake it all away. Leave me alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>He</u> won't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at this...\n\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS A LEGEND ON IT:\n</b><b>\tNOW YOU SEE ME...\n</b>\n\tAs they watch, it is replaced by:\n\n<b>\tNOW YOU DON'T...\n</b>\n\tAND THEN IT FADES TO BLACK... Helen goes to the machine and\n\tmaneuvers with mouse and keyboard.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's gone. The file's not here.\n\t\t\t(to Ruben)\n\t\tWhat did you do?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI just started it copying to tape,\n\t\tbut the tape never ran. It just\n\t\tdid that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(respect)\n\t\tHe's brilliant. This one is\n\t\tbrilliant.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe'll show that to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShow what? It's gone. He wrote a\n\t\tself destruct virus into the code,\n\t\tso it would only play until we try\n\t\tto copy it. Then it erased itself.\n\t\tGone...\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tDo you remember what you saw?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ CORRIDOR - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., RUBEN, QUINN, MAYBE OTHERS OF HIS STAFF STRIDE\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY DOWN THE CORRIDOR, CAMERA MOVING WITH THEM...\n</b>\tFor a moment we won't know who Quinn is talking about...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHe's on the phone calling me like an\n\t\tinsurance salesman soliciting my\n\t\tbusiness, for Christ's sake. I\n\t\tdidn't tell him the three most\n\t\tover-rated things in life are young\n\t\tpussy, regular exercise and the\n<b>\t\tF.B.I.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, maaaaan?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat? I talk like a cop, this is\n\t\tthe way I talk. I can't believe\n\t\tthis guy. Saks. He's a Deputy\n\t\tAssistant Director of the F.B.I.\n\t\t\"Let me help you!\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe could use a little help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWith the F.B.I. there's no such\n\t\tthing as a little help. They bury\n\t\tyou with help. Explain to me about\n\t\tthis virus, no don't tell me about\n\t\tthe virus. Thing is, you saw it,\n\t\tthe pictures.\n\n\tThey pass through a door into a ROOM where the homicide team\n\tsit waiting... M.J. goes right into a briefing...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe saw it. The unknown target is\n\t\tkneeling, she's gardening. Red\n\t\thair, high cheekbones, mid-\n\t\tthirties, height I don't know,\n\t\tshe's not overweight, she's\n\t\tzofting... She's in front of a\n\t\thouse that looks like...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. MARINA HOUSE - LATE DAY\n</b>\n\tAs she is speaking, her description becomes V.O. as we SEE\n\tpolice cars and an ambulance drawn up IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE\n<b>\tSHE IS DESCRIBING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... the Marina area, there was\n\t\tearthquake damage repair on the\n\t\thouse it looked like, a little\n\t\tgarden. The light was late\n\t\tafternoon. Say about cocktail\n\t\thour. He was bringing out drinks,\n\t\tmargaritas by the look. So we got\n\t\ta house facing west, on the east\n\t\tside of the street. Full sun, so\n\t\tthere's no high trees or buildings,\n\t\tresidential both sides.\n\n\tSUSAN SCHIFFER and her crew arrive, leaping out of their van\n\twith their equipment, a makeup woman ADJUSTING SUSAN'S\n<b>\tMAKEUP AND HAIR RIGHT THERE IN THE STREET...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. MARINA HOUSE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. and Ruben, Quinn, etc., trying to calm and/or question\n\tthe HUSBAND, who is in shock. He is the man we saw bringing\n\tdrinks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHUSBAND\n</b>\t\tStupid goddam s-stupid p-poker\n\t\tgame! Always have to s-stay until\n\t\tPhil makes a c...comeback. Am I\n\t\tstuttering?\n\n\tThe husband's voice follows QUINN and others as another COP\n\tleads them toward the back of house.\n\n\tDOOR TO BEDROOM. QUINN AND RUBEN have stopped just inside\n\tdoor. M.J. forced to peer around them.\n\n\tM.J.'S POV: On the bed, the RED-HEADED WOMAN'S body is\n\tpropped up against the headboard, her knees up, her head\n\tfallen onto a shoulder: her pajama top has been ripped open\n\tand pushed up. Knotted around her neck is a pink scarf tied\n\tin a huge bow under her chin. On her feet, secured between\n\ther toes, is a commercial flyer advertising the Festival of\n\tLove. It is brightly printed with red hearts. It has been\n\thand-lettered:\n\n<b>\tHELL IN THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. FESTIVAL OF LOVE IN GOLDEN STATE PARK - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tCAMCORDER capturing the audience of a ROCK CONCERT in full\n\tblast, in GOLDEN GATE PARK. The audience, mostly young,\n\tsome in 70's costume, sit and loll around on blankets. Most\n\tseem to have some variety of refreshment... liquid or rolled.\n\tThe CAMERA records the unsteady progress of a lovely YOUNG\n\tGIRL, weaving her way through the blankets and the bodies.\n\tShe suddenly becomes aware of the camera being aimed at her.\n\tShe stops, strikes a comically seductive pose and gives a\n\tbig, gorgeous smile. FREEZE FRAME.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tANDY answers the door. M.J. and Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe just got to sleep. Do you have\n\t\tto tell her about it now?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell her about <u>what</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(mock admiration)\n\t\tGaahhd! What a <u>cop</u>! You busted\n\t\tme!\n\t\t\t(real)\n\t\tThe new one, in the Marina.\n\t\t\t(to their reaction)\n\t\tShe has a police radio scanner.\n\t\tIt's always on. She turns it off,\n\t\tand then she has to turn it on\n\t\tagain. She's obsessed. She can't\n\t\tnot listen to it, but she can't\n\t\tlisten to it, so she makes me\n\t\tlisten to it.\n\n<b>\tHELEN APPEARS IN WHATEVER SHE SLEEPS IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to look at any more\n\t\tpictures. They're like a disease.\n\t\tThey get into my head. I can't get\n\t\tthem out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI don't look at pictures. I look\n\t\tat the <u>real thing</u>. I don't feel\n\t\tinfected.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe that's why you can't catch\n\t\thim. I <u>know</u> what she looks like --\n\t\tthe red-headed woman in my\n\t\tcomputer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just came from her... here's what\n\t\tyou haven't seen.\n\n\tM.J. takes out a picture of the dead RED-HEADED WOMAN. Her\n\tmanner is that of cop with a witness.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tA forgery of the Mary Sullivan\n\t\tmurder scene, he's done it perfect.\n\t\tExcept for the sign.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at photo)\n\t\tShe probably let him in the door\n\t\twithout a thought. Where are their\n\t\tmothers?! Where are the mothers\n\t\tthat are supposed to teach them to\n\t\tbe wary and to tough and not afraid\n\t\tto fight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at the sign. 'Hell'? In the\n\t\tFestival of Love? You make any\n\t\tsense in that?\n\n\tHELEN stares at the picture.\n\n\t\t\t\tM.J. (cont'd)\n\t\tFor 'Hell', read 'Helen'. He's\n\t\ttalking to you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's <u>anybody</u> connected to author-\n\t\tity. They write, they even knock\n\t\ton your door. They're <u>fans</u>. It\n\t\tthrills them to flirt with getting\n\t\tcaught.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNobody knows you have anything to\n\t\tdo with this case; nothing has been\n\t\ton TV or the news... Why would he\n\t\twant to get in <u>your</u> computer?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm his damned pin-up girl!\n\t\tHis, all of them! They know me.\n\t\tThey're in prisons with libraries,\n\t\tthey collect clippings, I'm their\n\t\tworthy opponent. You keep my name\n\t\tout of this.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tAbsolutely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tMy promise.\n\n\tAndy, who has ducked out, now reappears, dressed for a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tThe moon is up, my night to howl.\n\t\tWill you be okay?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God, I forget. Yes. Yes. You\n\t\tgo. Poor thing, you ought to get\n\t\tout.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tLook out for her. She's tougher\n\t\tthan you think.\n\n\tHe goes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI know 'Halloran.' What's the rest\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. We call her M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaryJane. You think that logic and\n\t\tpolice procedure, order and science\n\t\tand method will hold back the\n\t\thorrors of a world gone mad and the\n\t\tsickness of the night. I did once.\n\t\tBut you know how he'll get caught?\n\t\tHe'll have an accident, or some cop\n\t\twill get lucky. You can't catch\n\t\thim by being intelligent and\n\t\tworking hard. Or the worst: there\n\t\tare dozens of women slaughtered in\n\t\tthe most horrible way, month after\n\t\tmonth. The news stories grow more\n\t\tgrotesque and bizarre and in the\n\t\tcity people lock their doors and\n\t\twindows, and hurry home before\n\t\tdark. And then, one day, there are\n\t\tno more. What happened? Did he\n\t\tjust stop? Get tired and disgusted\n\t\tand decide not to kill any more?\n\t\tDid he kill himself? Did he die in\n\t\tan auto accident? Or a fight. Or\n\t\tget sick and die? It's like the\n\t\tmurderer walked off the edge of the\n\t\tearth. And you never know. But\n\t\tyou keep asking yourself -- when you\n\t\tread about a new murder -- is he\n\t\tback?\n\n\tM.J. stands. She has noted Ruben's reaction to Helen's\n\tstory. There is an edge of sarcasm in her voice...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's amazing. A whole new book,\n\t\tthought up in a minute. Very good.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAll I know how t do is get up,\n\t\ttake a shower, and go to work.\n\t\tHope, if he does another I'll nail\n\t\tthe son of bitch, and they'll spell\n\t\tmy name right in the newspaper.\n\t\tWhere is Andy going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's going home. He slept over\n\t\tbecause I was a little anxious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI want a guard on you. I'm worried\n\t\tabout leaving you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to M.J.)\n\t\tWe're through for the night, aren't\n\t\twe? You go on. Get some sleep.\n\t\tI'll stay until we can get a man\n\t\tout here and maybe catch a cab\n\t\thome.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat would be much appreciated.\n\t\tThanks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tSomewhere down the line we're doing\n\t\tto find a connection between him\n\t\tand you. I want you to worry that\n\t\tidea like a loose tooth.\n\n\tThree voices chime self-conscious 'Good-nights.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tTHE SILENT WATCHER'S POV through the eye of the\n\tCAMCORDER, we catch M.J. exit HELEN'S building. She stops\n\tmomentarily on the sidewalk to look up at Helen's window...\n\tThe drapes swing open. RUBEN CAN BE SEEN DOING SOMETHING AT\n\tTHE WINDOWS... The Camcorder zooms to a close-up of M.J.\n\tShe gets into her car and speeds off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben is checking the windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou ought to get some decent locks\n\t\ton these. A six-year-old could get\n\t\tin here. Much less a motivated\n\t\tman.\n\n\tAt the phrase 'motivated man', HELEN looks at him boldly in the\n\teye.\n<b> \t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou and MaryJane aren't lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNot yet.\n\n\tHELEN laughs. So does RUBEN. Her boldness, her <u>laughter</u>,\n\tattracts him. His honesty attracts HELEN. He feels the\n\theat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAre you always so bold?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNo. I'm shy and I'm selective.\n\n\tHis grin says he'd select her anytime...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe problem for me is... you're in\n\t\tthe witness category.\n\t\t\t(beat -- Jack\n\t\t\t Nicholson)\n\t\tKnow what I mean?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWell. Another time, then.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'll be all right. He's not going\n\t\tto attack me; what I' m rally\n\t\tafraid of is all in my own head,\n\t\tRuben.\n\n\tThey smile ruefully at one another, and without further\n\tconversation, leave the bedroom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN is outside the door. HELEN just inside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey'll have a guard here tomorrow.\n\t\tI know you have the idea, but it'll\n\t\tmake me feel a lot better.\n\n\tShe smiles, and RUBEN turns, walks away. She stays in the\n\tdoorway watching his retreat. About ten feet away, he\n\tsuddenly stops.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHey!\n\n\tHe turns around, she is still in the doorway. He reaches\n\tfor his wallet, withdraws a card, holds it up to her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe number for my cellular.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hesitate. <u>Anytime</u>. Night or\n\t\tday. I mean that.\n\n\tHe hods card out to her. HELEN, holding onto the door\n\tframe, doesn't move. RUBEN continues to extend his hand\n\twith the card in it. It is a charged moment. She is frozen\n\tin the doorway; RUBEN refuses to make a move towards her.\n\tHELEN summons all her nerve and lets go of the door frame,\n\tdetermined not to have any further mortification this night,\n\tshe takes one shaky step out into the hallway to meet him.\n\tThen a second step and a third.\n\n\tHer hand touches the card, takes it.\n\n\tShe turns her head to gauge the distance she must retreat.\n\tWhat she sees is that the door's Sureclose device has\n\tquietly and efficiently closed. The door is locked.\n\tFrantic, she turns back toward RUBEN.\n\n<b>\tHER POV:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN, now seems a vast distance away from her. He is just\n\tturning down the stairs and is gone... The hallway first\n\tnarrows, squeezing her in, then expands. She is lost in the\n\tmiles and miles of space between the two walls.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOh, God! Help me!\n\n\tRUBEN reappears, races toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTell me what to do!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm falling! I'm going to fall!\n\n\tShe starts to pass out, to sink to her knees, but RUBEN\n\tcatches her, puts her up against the wall, handling her like\n\ta suspect. He puts one hand on the back of her neck,\n\tspreads her legs, gets her in frisk position. Somehow, this\n\tis comforting to her, but she is still in full-blown\n\tpanic...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...falling... FALLING!\n\n\tHe pressed his body up against hers, his weight anchoring\n\ther against the feeling of free-fall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'm right here. I won't let you\n\t\tfall.\n\n\tHe still has a hand on the back of her neck. Suddenly, the\n\tproximity effects him, makes him want to kiss her neck. She\n\tbegins to hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't let go... I can't breathe...\n\t\tI'll die!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShhh. It's okay. Just breathe.\n\t\tI'll fix it...\n\n\tRUBEN takes out his gun...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tPut your hands over your ears.\n\n\tRUBEN shoots off the lock. Then he picks HELEN up and\n\tcarries her back into her apartment.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRUBEN enters and puts HELEN down on the couch, pulls a throw\n\tup over her. He sees her Xanax bottle on a table, hands it\n\tto her. She takes out three as he pours her some seltzer\n\twater, then watches her take the pills. After which he\n\ttakes the bottle and pockets it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe lock...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI'll get a locksmith.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWill you stay? Please? I'm afraid\n\t\tto sleep... I don't want...<u>him</u>...in\n\t\tmy head...\n\n\tRUBEN pulls a big chair up beside the sofa. As her eyes\n\tclose, RUBEN comforts her. TV features the antics of a\n\tnervous little prairie dog family. He looks back at HELEN.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE UP HELEN:\n</b>\n\tWe hear a faint but impatient voice call:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tV.O.\n</b>\t\tPeter... Peter...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCROSS FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM (DALY CITY) - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDim light. The room is unattractive, over-furnished but not\n\tcomfortably. A WOMAN is sitting propped up in a double bed.\n\tShe is in her mid-thirties, but drained and pale, she looks\n\tolder. A chronic invalid. By her side is a NASTY LITTLE\n\tDOG, with ribbon bows in its fur. Near the bed is a TV and\n\tvideo, on which a movie's final credits are running.\n\n<b>\tTHE WOMAN IS IMPATIENTLY PUSHING AN INTERCOM BUTTON\n</b>\n\tPETER enters. Younger than the woman, rather good-looking.\n\tBoyish and nondescript except for a patch of white skin near\n\this hairline. AN OLD SCAR. He goes straight to TV and puts\n\tthe tape on 'eject.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tPut in the Kevin Costner.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy don't we save it for later?\n\t\tIt's almost time for Letterman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tYou know I don't like to watch talk\n\t\tshows by myself. Where're you?\n\n\tHe inserts the video she wants and pushes 'play.' Then he\n\tapproaches the bed, leans over his wife and gently pushes a\n\tlock of hair back from the forehead.\n\n\tShe ignores him, staring at the screen. The NASTY LITTLE\n<b>\tDOG BARES ITS TEETH AND SNAPS AT HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tSee, now you've annoyed her. You\n\t\tknow she doesn't like you to touch\n\t\tme.\n\t\t\t(to dog)\n\t\tDoes she, widdle wee fing! Wuhve\n\t\tyou so much!\n\t\t\t(to Peter)\n\t\tDid you feed her?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYes, I fed her. If she says she's\n\t\thungry, she's lying to you. Again.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tShe doesn't lie! You sure you fed\n\t\ther?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tShe lies all the time. Why would I\n\t\tsay I fed her if I didn't?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n</b>\t\tThat's what I don't know. Why\n\t\twould you lie? That's the\n\t\tproblem... I can't understand why\n\t\tanyone would lie.\n\n\tHe leaves. As he goes we can hear the Woman still talking\n\tto her dog over the TV soundtrack.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN (cont'd)\n\t\tYou wouldn't lie to Mummy, would\n\t\tyou? Just to get Dad in trouble?\n\t\tSuch a naughty widdle dog...\n\n\tHER VOICE FADES AWAY AS WE FOLLOW HIM down the stairs into a\n\tsmall, ill-lit and dreary living room, into a messy kitchen,\n\tthen through a door leading to the basement. He locks the\n\tbasement door behind him.\n\n\tTHE BASEMENT is brightly lighted, full of high tech, gadgets\n\tand computers. As he approaches the bottom stair, we see a\n\tsmall TV/video set attached to a wall. On its screen,\n\tfreeze-framed and silent, is a video of a PRETTY GIRL at an\n\toutdoor rock concert, smiling seductively.\n\n\tPETER puts on a WHITE LAB COAT and then reaches over\n\tsomething to turn the video back on.\n\n\tThe CAMERA PANS DOWN to what he has leaned across. It is\n\tthe YOUNG GIRL from the concert. She is strapped onto a\n\ttable, her mouth taped shut. A plastic bag covers her head,\n\tbut not tightly. She is semiconscious. She is being\n\tasphyxiated by slow degrees.\n\n\tPETER looks at her, gently pushes the bag up far enough to\n\trepeat the tender gesture with her damp hair that he made\n\ttoward his wife. He whispers:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDidn't I promise I'd come right\n\t\tback?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HILLSIDE - DAWN\n</b>\n\tALL NIGHT FESTIVAL REVELLERS dance across the skyline, of\n\tglorious misty green hills, hand in hand. The Camera moves\n\tdown, across verdant meadows, until we arrive at the bottom\n\tof the nearest hill which slopes finally to a highway. A\n\tfew festival up-all-night REVELERS, looking down at a new\n\tCRIME SCENE, where three blue-and-whites are parked, plus a\n\tnumber of unmarked cars.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN ARRIVES IN A TAXI.\n</b>\n\tAs he moves past the ever-present SUSAN we THREAD THROUGH\n\tTHE SCENE TO FIND M.J. M.J. takes one look at RUBEN'S\n\tstubble, his yesterday's slept-in clothes, and she turns\n\taway. Before RUBEN can catch up with her, NIKKO approaches.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tUp all night with a sick friend.\n\n\tNIKKO'S face is tight with anger.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou dumb son of a bitch! You don't\n\t\teven know how to treat a woman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWho? M.J.? Hey, Nikko, explain to\n\t\tme why she gave you the boot...\n\n\tHe moves to M.J. who stands beside the dead BODY OF THE\n\tWOMAN WE LAST SAW STRAPPED TO A TABLE. The plastic bag is\n\tnow tied tight around her neck. She has been posed beneath\n\ta sign that says \"NO DUMPING\". The usual technicians,\n\tphotographers, Doc, the Coroner, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIs Niccoletti <u>assigned</u> here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(angry about it)\n\t\tQuinn decided we should form a task\n\t\tforce -- they're all one case, now.\n\t\tHe wants all the senior detectives\n\t\ton it...\n\t\t\t(to Doc)\n\t\tShe wasn't killed here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tNot likely.\n\n\tM.J. is kneeling, inspecting everything here; Ruben kneels\n\tbeside her... to Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTell me what you see.\n\n\tHe inspects the dead girl's fingernails.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe didn't fight back, no hair or\n\t\tskin under her fingernails. I'm\n\t\tnot seeing any bruises or\n\t\tcontusions...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat about her arms?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tNeedle marks, fresh, here. look at\n\t\tthis...\n\n\tNikko appears, looming over her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tProbably so stoned she never knew\n\t\twhat got her. Like Goetz's sick\n\t\tfriend. Right Goetz?\n\n\tThey ignore him. M.J. stands...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe's blue as hell. No marks on her\n\t\tneck. Asphyxiated? not the same --\n\t\tno ligature marks. Outdoors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLook at her legs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tSpread out like she was sexually\n\t\tassaulted here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDOC\n</b>\t\tAfter she was dead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe was dragged up here from the\n\t\troad, you can see the tracks. She\n\t\twas already dead or unconscious.\n\t\tLet's get plaster casts on any --\n\t\tall footprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is just the dump site,\n\t\twhere did he do the job? Where did\n\t\the pick her up?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDoped up kids all over town. Park\n\t\twas full of them last night. Very\n\t\teasy pickin'. Goetz's type.\n\n\tRuben hits him, Nikko reflexively throws a punch that grazes\n\tRuben. Everybody stops in astonishment. M.J. steps between\n\tthem. Ready to get physical herself; they settle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell are you doing? The\n\t\tMouth and the Haircut are right\n\t\tdown there, thank God they didn't\n\t\tsee that.\n\n\tDown below, Susan and the Haircut are interviewing Festival-\n\tof-Lovers.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNiccoletti, they're on the wrong\n\t\tside of the tape, you want to push\n\t\tthem back? Now.\n\n\tNikko trots off to Susan and the Haircut. M.J. gestures for\n\tRUBEN, now on his feet and dabbing at a split lip, to follow\n\ther back to the cars. As they move more slowly down the\n\thillside to their cars...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, my God, I ought to put you\n\t\ton report.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou're right. I can't stand that\n\t\tbastard. Sorry.\n\t\t\t(getting back to\n\t\t\t work)\n\t\tThis is something new. Not the\n\t\tsame guy, that's for sure.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah, everything's different.\n\n\tBut she seems unhappy... to techs standing by:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGet the pictures, and casts of\n\t\tfootprints.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tLook at him, grandstanding...\n\n\tNikko is talking to Susan Schiff...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t<u>That's</u> all we need...\n\n\tShe strides toward them...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDetective Niccoletti?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tWhat's this about the Boston\n\t\tStrangler, M.J.?\n\n\tM.J. looks at Nikko. He should know better. She's also\n\tthinking: is this a good thing to have the media announce at\n\tthis point -- or not?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, Susan -- I'm sorry, you're on\n\t\tthe wrong side of the tape. We're\n\t\tstill trying to find any footprints\n\t\tor tire marks and we don't want to\n\t\tchew up the ground, okay? I'll\n\t\ttalk to you later.\n\t\t\t(to Nikko)\n\t\tYou, too.\n\n\tShe's got Susan outside the tape...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tInspector, will you confirm\n\t\tsomebody is copying the Boston\n\t\tStrangler? This is the fourth, is\n\t\tthat correct?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe're going to review all the\n\t\tevidence carefully before making\n\t\tany statement...\n\n\tShe is getting into her car; Ruben jumps in on the other\n\tside. Susan races for her silver Audi...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, put the light on...\n\n\tFrom outside the car as they drive away we see Ruben's arm\n\tclap the magnetic flasher on the top of their unmarked car.\n\n\tM.J. switches it on... A CHASE ENSUES. SUSAN has a faster\n\tcar, but M.J. is a better driver. Stomach dropping hills,\n\ttrolley cars, the corkscrew turns of Lombard Street, all the\n\tfamiliar San Francisco chase scenes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tNow listen up, Ruben. You never,\n\t\tnever, never mess with somebody\n\t\t<u>inside</u> the case!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tExcuse me? <u>Excuse me</u>?! What do\n\t\tyou...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou damn well better start working\n\t\ton that impulse control. A woman\n\t\twho is implicated in this case?\n\t\tSomeone who's practically a piece\n\t\tof <u>evidence</u>?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's against your rules that I try\n\t\tto help a witness who's scared\n\t\tshitless? Who's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe woman's unstable. You could\n\t\twind up with a harassment charge.\n\t\t<u>Anything</u>. You're like some horny\n\t\tlittle teenager.\n\n\tM.J. takes another two-wheel corner. In the rear view\n\tmirror, M.J. watches SUSAN lose control of her car as she\n\ttries to make a tight turn, M.J. smiles in contempt.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnybody who's ever watched TV knows\n\t\tabout that corner.\n\n\tHaving lost SUSAN, M.J. slows down to a normal speed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tEverybody could see you -- unshaved,\n\t\tsame clothes from yesterday,\n\t\treeking of sex.\n\n\tRUBEN'S eye-brows lift. She peels into the HQ parking lot\n\tand jumps out.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(going away)\n\t\tPark the car. Call the lab. Get\n\t\tDoc to lean on the coroner for a\n\t\treally fast prelim on the sperm.\n\n\tRUBEN gets out of the car to cross to the driver's side...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWhen you get it, call me.\n\n\tRUBEN look after her, a smile of delight on his face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe loves me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tQUINN, NICCOLETTI.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI know; the kid hit you first. He\n\t\talready told me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tHe's not treating her right...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tShe left you, Nikko. She's not\n\t\tyour responsibility. She takes\n\t\tvery good care of herself. If she\n\t\twants to romance the kid, it ain't\n\t\tyour business. Your business is to\n\t\tsnap out of it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe were together six years, sir!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tDon't give me six years! You never\n\t\tdivorced Patty, did you? So what'd\n\t\tyou expect from M.J.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tShe knows I'm Catholic! She never\n\t\tmentioned divorce! Not once!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tThen you shoulda known she wasn't\n\t\tbuying. She was just long-term\n\t\tleasing' you.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAh, Nickie. Except for that rare\n\t\ttwenty-second twitch, there ain't\n\t\tnothin' about sex I don't hate.\n\t\tBut of course, I'm Irish.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tPlus I got <u>real</u> problems. I'm\n\t\tworried I might have to put you in\n\t\tover M.J. There's something going on\n\t\there, the Commissioner is targeting\n\t\ther now, I can't leave a woman in\n\t\tthat position. But the thing is,\n\t\thow can I move <u>you</u> in, if you go on\n\t\tacting like a teenage asshole?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI don't want the job. Don't do\n\t\tthat to her. She's worked too\n\t\tdamned hard for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat's going down with the sting in\n\t\tChinatown? That gonna be off your\n\t\tplate in a week or what?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE POLICE HQ IS BEING SET UP TO\n</b><b>\tHOUSE A NEW TASK FORCE, WITH CATERER'S TABLE FOR TEMP\n</b>\tDESKS. Bulletin boards with notices and pictures; telephone\n\ttechs are still installing phones, cops are learning\n\tunfamiliar computer menus, etc. M.J. IS EXAMINING HUGE\n<b>\tBLOWUPS OF ONLOOKERS AT CRIME SCENES PINNED UP ON A WALL,\n</b><b>\tWITH A MAGNIFYING LENS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSergeant...\n\n\tShe walks away BECKONS, BECKONS, COME ON, WALK AFTER ME! He\n\twalks out of a door and they stand on the steps...\n\n<b>\tEXT. STEPS POLICE HQ - DAY\n</b>\n\tA couple of Cops, maybe male and female, are smoking there.\n\tQuinn gives them a look that sends them scuttling inside,\n\tflipping their butts into the shrubbery. Quinn sighs and\n\tdigs out a cigarette. The looks between them tell the story\n\tof his trying to give it up and not being able to, etc.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo what have we got?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's not the same guy. It should be\n\t\ta self-solver. No bow around the\n\t\tneck, left and body outdoors,\n\t\tcompletely different. The others\n\t\twere housewives, secretaries, he\n\t\ttalked his way inside, killed them\n\t\tin their own living room or bed- or\n\t\tbathroom. This one didn't have a\n\t\thusband or a boyfriend, no family,\n\t\ttemp waitress, 3 arrests for\n\t\tmisdemeanor dope offenses, DUI,\n\t\tasphyxiation probably from a\n\t\tplastic bag over her head. Sexually\n\t\tassaulted. The others weren't\n\t\tmolested that way. We're waiting\n\t\tfor the sperm tests...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tChrist. How old are you? You sure\n\t\tyou want to be in this line of\n\t\twork?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're damn right I do.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tOkay, now what about your sidekick\n\t\tpunching my favorite detective?\n\t\tWhat the hell is going on? You got\n\t\tno discipline in your operation.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm sorry it had to come to your\n\t\tattention. I am dealing with it.\n\n\tShe starts to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhere you going?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen Hudson...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tWhat the hell you need her for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I think I'm wrong.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: XANAX BOTTLE. SHAKING HANDS DUMP OUT PILLS. FOUR.\n</b><b>\tSIX. TWO, PUT BACK. ONE MORE, PUT BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: RAVAGED. WATCHING HERSELF IN MIRROR AS SHE GULPS THE\n</b><b>\tREMAINING PILLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tDOOR BELL RINGS O.S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'm not seeing anybody.\n\n\tWe HEAR muffled voices -- ANDY and M.J. HELEN, as she\n\trealizes Andy is letting M.J. in, goes to the bathroom door\n\tand tries to slam and lock it: Andy beats her to it,\n\tblocking with his foot in the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're fired.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tI know. Do come and meet your\n\t\tguest.\n\n\tM.J. appears. Taking in Helen's condition -- due to a wild\n\tnight with Ruben? Helen moves from the bathroom down the\n\thall to her office, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWe've got another one.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's no surprise.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBut it's a different m.o.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThen what do you need me for?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe was killed somewhere else and\n\tdumped outdoors in an empty lot.\n\t\tWhere it says \"no dumping.\" Her\n\t\tlegs pulled apart in a kind of\n\t\tsexual pose. It's all different\n\t\tbut it seems so -- the same.\n\t\tArtificial and <u>posed</u>... Something's\n\t\twrong with it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're saying it's the same man,\n\t\tbut he's changed his style? That\n\t\tdoesn't happen. These men are\n\t\trobotic; the murder is like a\n\t\tritual. The method itself is part\n\t\tof the pleasure...\n\n\tThey've turned into the office. Something is wrong...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho turned off the Internet\n\t\tcomputer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI turned it off. It's like an open\n\t\twindow he can climb right in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe comes in the window, we maybe\n\t\tgrab him. Where's the on-switch?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHave you got a warrant? Get the\n\t\thell out o here! This is the\n\t\t<u>only space I have left in the</u>\n\t\t<u>world</u>! Why can't you leave me out\n\t\tof it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- the killer directly\n\t\tcontacted you. His interest in you\n\t\tis <u>intense</u>. I'm worried about you.\n\t\tI don't want to lose you. I know\n\t\tthis stirs up every monster under\n\t\tthe bed, but this is the only\n\t\tdirect contact we have with him.\n\t\tThe only chance we have to trap\n\t\thim.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tSo, you can turn Internet back on,\n\t\tor I do, and we put somebody here\n\t\ton a 24 hour shift and you can\n\t\tkick, scream and hyperventilate.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat little Winona Ryder manner...\n\t\tyou're more convincing as Clint\n\t\tEastwood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tClint is putting a guard on you.\n\t\tBut if you swear to leave the\n\t\tcomputer on, Winona will assign him\n\t\tto the hall outside.\n\n\tHELEN has to laugh. The laugh turns to a hacking cough.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tShe's smoking again.\n\n\tAndy leaves. Helen sits, and with the care of someone\n\thandling a rattlesnake, turns the computer on. Meanwhile...\n\n<b>\tTHE PHONE RINGS.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello?... Oh...\n\t\t\t(a beat)\n\t\t...yes, she's right here.\n\n\tHELEN hangs the phone to M.J. The air is a little more\n\tcharged... Helen goes back to the computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tRuben.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHello, Ruben...\n\t\t\t(listens, nods)\n\t\tSo that's that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPlease thank Inspector Goetz for\n\t\ttaking care of me last night.\n\n\tM.J. delivers the message straight-faced.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben, Dr. Hudson wants me to\n\t\tthank you for taking care of her\n\t\tlast night.\n\t\t\t(hangs up)\n\t\tLab report on the new one. At\n\t\tleast two guys penetrated her.\n\t\tThere were <u>two</u> kinds of sperm. The\n\t\tpoor thing. What it must have been\n\t\tlike.\n\n\tHelen has come alert...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was near a sign that said \"No\n\t\tDumping?\" Two kinds of sperm --\n\t\tthe lab said one was a secretor and\n\t\tthe other was not?\n\n\tM.J. mumbles a surprised yes. Helen is at computer.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThere were needle marks. But no\n\t\tdrugs in her blood.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSo far nothing they test for comes\n\t\tup positive.\n\n\tHelen has a Window type screen: she clicks icons...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs that it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(stunned)\n\t\tThat's exactly... I could have\n\t\ttaken that same picture, this\n\t\tmorning.\n\n<b>\tA RATHER GRAINY PICTURE OF A DEAD GIRL SPREAD OUT IN A\n</b><b>\tSUGGESTIVE POSE IN AN EMPTY FIELD. A SIGN RIGHT BY HER SAYS\n</b><b>\t\"NO DUMPING.\"\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's switched from DeSalvo to the\n\t\tHillside Strangler. The Strangler\n\t\twas two men, that's why there are\n\t\ttwo kinds of sperm. His idea of a\n\t\tjoke, very witty our boy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThat's not consistent... You said\n\t\tthey never changed their style,\n\t\tthey're robots...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tConsistency is the hobgoblin of\n\t\t<u>little</u> minds. Tell them to test\n\t\tfor the chemicals found in Windex.\n\t\tThat's a product for cleaning\n\t\twith...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI know Windex, for God's sake, I\n\t\tclean my own windows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's what Bianchi and Buono\n\t\tinjected into one of their victims.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(sensing something\n\t\t\t appalling)\n\t\tInjected Windex! Why would he\n\t\tswitch to a new m.o.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh, if you knew that, you'd be half\n\t\tway to nailing him. Serial killing\n\t\tis irrational and rigid and \n\t\tcompulsive. This guy has a plan\n\t\tall thought out, flexible and\n\t\tcomplex. He's playing a game with\n\t\tus. Who will he imitate next?\n\t\tMaybe he's doing all the serial\n\t\tkillers in history, the great\n\t\tinnovators, the murderers' hall of\n\t\tfame. Just to prove he's better\n\t\tthan all of them. They got caught;\n\t\the didn't.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe'll get caught. If he has a plan\n\t\tthat'll be what trips him up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWho's going to catch him? You?\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tAnd if you do, there'll be another\n\t\tone. And one after that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(gently, surprised)\n\t\tYou're afraid of him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThis one, yes. I was always\n\t\tcurious about these twisted little \n\t\tsouls, but this is the first one\n\t\tI've felt personally terrified of.\n\t\tHe's something new and unheard of.\n\t\tI don't know what he wants.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI'm giving you Clint outside.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe room is empty, the messy unmade bed has covers thrown\n\tback. Nasty Little Dog is sprawled asleep on it. The TV is\n\ton: SUSAN SCHIFFER'S broadcast... Over SUSAN'S shoulder, big\n\tand bold, the legend:\n\n<b>\t'KOPYCAT KILLER?'\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\t...to mimic the M.O. of the Boston\n\t\tStrangler. The police here are\n\t\trumored to be consulting Dr. Helen\n\t\tHudson.\n\n\tO.S. A TOILET FLUSHES, and Peter's WIFE emerges wearing a\n\tnightgown. She shuffles back to the bed, and as she sits\n\tpicks up the remote...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\tIt was backstage at the McClusky\n\t\tAuditorium on the Berkeley campus\n\t\tthat Dr. Hudson's police bodyguard\n\t\twas killed. Daryll Lee Cullum,\n\t\tthat...\n\n\tShe zaps the remote and a program hyping the Summer of Love\n\tcomes on...\n\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tWe see on HIS computer screen a picture of HELEN scanned\n\tfrom some newspaper or magazine. PETER is building a morph:\n\tbeside Helen on screen is another image -- of the RED-HEADED\n\twoman. He is placing marks on one picture, on the exact\n\tcorner of Helen's left eyes. As he does so, a red dot\n\tappears near the corner of the left eye of the Red-headed\n\twoman. Both pictures are dappled with similar dots. It\n\tlooks very odd, as though someone had stuck Post-its all\n\tover the images. Around him, as he works are other pictures:\n\tASPHYXIATED GIRL taken while she was strapped to the table.\n\tOf the sign \"NO DUMPING.\" M.J. leaving Helen's! HE ALSO HAS\n<b>\tA TINY TV ON, AND TURNS TO SEE AS:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t... convicted serial killer had\n\t\tescaped police custody during a\n\t\tcourt hearing, in a scandal that\n\t\trocked the police and forced the\n\t\tresignation of four State\n\t\tCorrection officers...\n\n<b>\tINT. DEATH ROW CELL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE lies smoking and watching a tiny TV of his own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN (ON TV)\n</b>\t\t...Cullum attacked Doctor Hudson in\n\t\tapparent revenge for her testimony\n\t\tagainst him. Doctor Hudson did not\n\t\treturn our phone calls, today. Our\n\t\tsources tell us that if police\n\t\thomicide detectives fail to move\n\t\tfaster in their investigation the\n\t\tFBI will be called...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. striding, tight-lipped through the room to her\n\tworkstation where she takes the phone from Ruben...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\tINTERCUT:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou betrayed me! Now every\n\t\tpsychopath in the city knows I'm\n\t\tback in business... You lied to me!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI did not; the Mouth -- that's what\n\t\twe call Susan Schiffer -- got it on\n\t\ther own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy should I trust you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBecause I'm all you've got.\n\n<b>\tRUBEN HAS BEEN GIVEN NEWS: BIG PROBLEMS. MEN AND WOMEN ARE\n</b><b>\tGETTING UP, PUTTING ON HOLSTERS, ETC., MOVING OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow could you...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(out of patience)\n\t\tI like the real smart Helen Hudson\n\t\ta lot, I'm Goddamned sick and \n\t\ttired of the hysterical little\n\t\tgirl, Helen. You asked your way in\n\t\t-- I don't forget that. You've got\n\t\ta nickname around here -- \"Deep\n\t\tThroat\" from all the phone calls, I\n\t\twonder if you know that. Go take a\n\t\txanax, I've got to got to work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, her police scanner sounding distant tinny cries in\n\tthe night: Helen holding the phone, digesting that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSCANNER (VARIOUS VOICES)\n</b>\t\t987... Carol Meany, call your\n\t\thome? We have... don't step on\n\t\tme, damn it! Go to channel 8...\n\t\tCode Red -- Homicide at 16th Avenue\n\t\tand Horgan, woman dead in car. Can\n\t\twe have homicide? All units go to\n\t\tchannel 5. Leave channel 3 clear\n\t\tfor homicide... etc.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA MAN parks a car. He gets out. He is dressed entirely in\n\tblack. Glancing around to be sure he is not observed, the\n\tMAN moves to cars, banging them hard with his hand until he\n\tSETS OFF A CAR ALARM. He trots silently to HELEN'S side of\n\tthe street and merges into the dark side of her building.\n\tTHE ALARM GOES INFURIATINGLY ON. A light comes on in an\n\tupstairs window...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT, the cop on guard, marginally irritated by the car\n\talarm, looks up briefly, then returns to his magazine.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. RICHMOND DISTRICT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tCAR WHERE A WOMAN HAS BEEN SHOT DEAD. KLIEG LIGHTS PAINT\n</b>\tHER FEATURES A BLEAK WHITE ON BLACK. M.J. and RUBEN work\n\tthe scene along with the CRIME TECH CREW.\n\n\tOne of the TECH GUYS holds up a bullet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tTECH GUY\n</b>\t\tPulled this out of the door, it's\n\t\tbigger than a .38; it's a .44 or 9\n\t\tmillimeter.\n\n\tCLOSE: M.J. is crawling along the floor, looking at\n\teverything she can find -- gum wrappers, hobby pins, loose\n\tchange, etc. She lifts her head and finds the car radio and\n\ttape player right in her face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWas this on? When you found the\n\t\tcar was the tape player on or off.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOP (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt was on, auto-reverse, over and\n\t\tover.\n\n\tM.J. has rubber gloves on. She switches on ignition and the\n\ttape player starts: ABBA. A phone rings...\n\n\tON RUBEN standing beside the car; he answers his phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYeah?... I can't talk now...\n\t\tWhat?... No. There's no sexual\n\t\tassault, it's a drive-by, a woman\n\t\tin a car, it's not him.\n\t\t\t(mouths to M.J.)\n\t\t<u>Helen</u>.\n\n\tM.J. still pissed at the earlier phone call, turns away,\n\tdismissively...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIt's a woman shot in a car?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I have to go...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe on the passenger side?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(shouting to be\n\t\t\t heard)\n\t\tHelen, hang up, let Ruben get on\n\t\twith his work...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's that music. It's Abba. I\n\t\tcan hear it. It's Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhat's Abba?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tBunch of Swedish women. You're too\n\t\tyoung.\n\n\tDread clouds HELEN'S face. She is calling up databases,\n\tscreens scrolling across her computer monitor.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDon't hang up!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t<u>What</u>?...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tListen to me. Is there a gas\n\t\tstation nearby?\n\n\tRUBEN look around, sees a gas station across the street and\n\tfurther down the block...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIs there a phone booth there?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThey all have one...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tGo and look for a note.\n\n\tRUBEN hands the phone over to M.J.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe wants me to check the phone\n\t\tbooth for a note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen... excuse me, we...\n\n<b>\tON HELEN'S SCREEN IS THE FACE OF BERKOWITZ... SHE CALLS UP\n</b><b>\tADDITIONAL FRAMES SHOWING SCENES OF HIS CRIMES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tShe was listening to Abba in her\n\t\tparked car when she was shot with a\n\t\tBulldog .44.\n\n\tM.J. reacts: the scene of what Helen is saying hits her\n\thard. This is repeating the pattern of yet another\n\tkiller...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tTony!\n\n\tThe techie who pulled the bullet out of the door turns...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tLet me see the slug outta the door!\n\n\tHe pulls a baggie out his pocket and hands it to her...\n\n\tRUBEN RUNNING across to the gas station. He's alone now,\n\tthe blazing lights of the crime scene recede.\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA small annoyed crowd has gathered around the are whose\n\talarm is still shrieking.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S HALLWAY - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tBURT finally gets up, goes to window, sees situation,\n\tdecides to go and fix it.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CRIME SCENE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. still on phone to HELEN. She's just got the bullet out\n\tof the baggie; Tony stands watching.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat's that siren?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOne of those goddamned car alarms.\n\t\tWhat's going...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's gone to look... It's banged\n\t\tup but it looks like a .44. It's\n\t\tSon of Sam. Is it Son of Sam?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLook in the crowd. He liked to\n\t\thang around and watch the cops at\n\t\twork...\n\n<b>\tEXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tClosed. RUBEN at the phone booth.\n\n\tA note lies on the shelf, handwritten in felt-tip pen. He\n\tputs on a rubber glove, picks note up by one corner.\n\n<b>\tCRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN has taken phone back from M.J. He is reading the note\n\tto HELEN. M.J., agitated, stands by.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\"Police: let me haunt you with\n\t\tthese words: I'll be back.\"\n\n\tM.J. notices that there is writing on the other side of the\n\tnote. She forces RUBEN'S gloved hand to turn note over.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHold on a minute, Helen...\n\n\tBy this time M.J. has seen that this part is addressed to\n\t<u>HELEN</u>. M.J. takes phone from RUBEN, forcing herself to\n\tsound casual.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen, Ruben's going to drop by.\n\t\tHe's got some questions.\n\n\tShe hangs up, RUBEN is already on his way. M.J. calls a\n\tnumber...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAnswer me!!...\n\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe beeper on Burt's belt is beeping, but his head is under\n\tthe hood of the car where the car alarm is blaring. He\n\tcan't hear the beeper... \n\n<b>\tBACK TO CRIME SCENE:\n</b>\n\tM.J. ends the call, yells to another Detective.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI need a unit at 19809 Lorenda\n\t\tDrive. Tell them to approach code\n\t\t2 and wait for instruction. Find\n\t\tthe goddamn officer supposed to be\n\t\ton security. Ruben's on his way.\n\t\tHe'll go in alone.\n\n<b>\tSHE TURNS AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND YELLOW CRIME SCENE TAPE THE NIGHT IS FULL OF THRILL\n</b><b>\tSEEKERS AND CURIOUS. WHICH OF THEM MIGHT BE THE KILLER?\n</b><b>\tTHE GUY IN THE BACK OF THE CROWD WHO FOR NO APPARENT REASON\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY BEGINS TO RACE ALONG BEHIND THE ONLOOKERS? THE MEN\n</b><b>\tWHO DUCKS TO TIE HIS SHOE WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER SHOOTS A\n</b><b>\tPICTURE?\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. FRONT DOOR OF HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe horn blares across the street, (O.S.). No one notices\n\tthe MAN at HELEN'S door, swiftly fiddling the lock with a\n\tring full of burglars' keys and picks.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is putting on makeup (Ruben is coming). A small but\n\talarming noise at the front of the loft. She listens\n\tcarefully, and moves to the door looking down the hall\n\ttoward the front door. It is OPEN\" Burt is not there!\n\n\tShe hesitates a moment, then turns off the lights and\n\tsprints for the front door, to escape.\n\n<b>\tINT. LIVING ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN IS PULLING A BALACLAVA UP OVER HIS FACE. AS HE HEARS\n</b><b>\tHER HE STEPS TO THE...\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TELEPHONE\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND IN A FINE LEATHER BLACK GLOVE LIFTS THE RECEIVER OFF\n</b><b>\tTHE HOOK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN RUNS DOWN THE HALL AND REACHES THE FRONT DOOR. SHE\n</b><b>\tRUNS RIGHT OUT INTO THE HALL A FEW STEPS BEFORE RECOILING:\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE WALLS AND FLOOR WEAVING AND CONTRACTING...\n</b><b>\tAGORAPHOBIA HAS HIT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN FALLS. SHE SCRAMBLES IN TERROR BACK TO THE \"SAFETY\"\n</b><b>\tOF HER WALL, NOW A CAVE OF DARKNESS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE FALLS ON THE FLOOR OF THE HALL, GASPING FOR BREATH.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIVING ROOM. THE MAN MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tHALL.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n\tRUBEN: taking the hills fast.\n\n<b>\tTHE MAN: STEPS OUT INTO THE HALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE HAS RUN BACK THE LENGTH OF THE HALL TO HER\n</b><b>\tOFFICE. SHE IS JUST VANISHING AS THE MAN STEPS TO WHERE HE\n</b><b>\tCAN SEE HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN STARTS TO FOLLOW, NOT FAST, BUT WITH TERRIFYING\n</b><b>\tSURENESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE POLICE SCANNER SUDDENLY COMES UP LOUD. HE HESITATES.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: HER REMOTE CONTROLS IN HAND SWITCHES ON TV SETS,\n</b><b>\tLAMPS, ETC.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE MAN: HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN, TOWARD WHERE HE BELIEVES\n</b><b>\tSHE IS. HE IS PASSING A WINDOW, WHEN THE CURTAINS SUDDENLY\n</b><b>\tDRAW, RIGHT BESIDE HIM. HE PAUSES AGAIN, LOOKS DOWN AND WE\n</b><b>\tAND HE/WE SEE THE STREET SCENE: BURT AND NEIGHBORS TRYING TO\n</b><b>\tSILENCE THE CAR ALARM. THEN HE STARTS TO MOVE AGAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE CURTAINS CLOSE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHIGH ANGLE OVER THE MAZE OF THE APARTMENT WALLS. WE CAN SEE\n</b><b>\tTHE MAN MOVING ALONG THE HALLWAY AGAIN -- TOWARD ANDY'S DEN,\n</b><b>\tAND DIRECTLY TOWARD WHERE WE LAST SAW HELEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tSUDDENLY, FOREGROUND, HELEN'S HEAD POPS UP, HUGE! SHE IS\n</b><b>\tWRESTLING HERSELF UP OVER THE WALL TOWARD CAMERA, INTO\n</b><b>\tANOTHER ROOM OUT OF HIS PATH. WE PAN WITH HER AS SHE WIGGLES\n</b><b>\tHERSELF OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND UNTIL SHE FALLS INTO\n</b><b>\tFURNITURE, MAKING A HUGE NOISE.\n</b>\n<b>\tMAN STOPS, TRYING TO LOCATE DIRECTION. HE DECIDES. LEAPS\n</b><b>\tWITH CATLIKE GRACE ONTO A PIECE OF FURNITURE AND FROM THERE\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TOP OF THE WALL!\n</b>\n<b>\tNOW HE STANDS ON THE PARTITION, LOOKING AROUND AT THE\n</b><b>\tGROUNDPLAN (AS IT WERE) OF THIS APARTMENT MAZE FROM A HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE POV.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE CROUCHES IN HIDING. IN DEEP FOCUS, BEYOND HER,\n</b><b>\tAND HIGH ABOVE HER, WE SEE THE MAN SILHOUETTED AS HE BEGINS\n</b><b>\tTO WALK ALONG LIKE A CAT ON A GARDEN WALL, ABLE TO SEE ON\n</b><b>\tBOTH SIDES INTO WHATEVER ROOMS HE IS PASSING.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE DROPS OFF THE WALL FOR A MOMENT INTO HER BEDROOM.\n</b><b>\tINTERCUT MAN AND HELEN. HE LOOKS FOR HER, PRODS THE BED\n</b><b>\tCOVERS.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN LEAPS BACK UP TO THE TOP OF THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE TAKES A VASE AND THROWS IT OVER THE WALL INTO THE\n</b><b>\tADJACENT ROOM. THE MAN'S FIGURE DOESN'T EVEN SLOW, HE'S\n</b><b>\tALREADY FIGURED IT OUT: HE LEAPS CLEAR ACROSS AN OPENING\n</b><b>\tONTO THE WALL THAT LEADS DIRECTLY TO HER.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE HITS THE REMOTE: THE CURTAINS SWEEP OPEN, AND MORE LIGHT\n</b><b>\tCOMES IN NOW FROM THE STREET.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE, THE MAN: HIS FACE TURNS TO THE LIGHT: FROM THIS HIGH\n</b><b>\tANGLE WE AND WE SEE DOWN INTO THE STREET, WHERE\n</b>\n\tRUBEN'S CAR SCREECHES TO A STOP. RUBEN charges into the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tBURT, COMING AWAKE, FOLLOWS RUBEN up the stairs three at a\n\ttime.\n\n<b>\tHALLWAY AND APARTMENT DOOR: THE MAN COMES RACING OUT AND\n</b><b>\tTURNS TOWARD THE STAIRS, JUST AS RUBEN REACHES HELEN'S\n</b><b>\tFLOOR. THE MAN TRIES TO DO A 180, BUT RUBEN THROWS A BODY\n</b><b>\tBLOCK AND THE MAN FALLS BACK INSIDE THE APARTMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\tLIGHT FROM HALL GIVES US OUR FIRST LOOK AS RUBEN TEARS THE\n</b>\tBALACLAVA OFF HIS FACE. He is a middle-aged Afro-Asian with\n\ta knife-scarred face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tI can explain!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe fuck you can!\n\t\t\t(shouts)\n\t\tHelen! Are you okay? HELEN!\n\n\tThen he sees her. In shock, she stares down at the MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tDid this animal touch you?\n\n\tShe shakes her head, turns and runs out of the room, as\n\tRUBEN catches sight of BURT.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTurn on a light and call in the\n\t\tunit. <u>NOW</u>!\n\n\tBURT rushes to okay. RUBEN FRISKS THE MAN.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tNo gun!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBullshit's gonna get your balls\n\t\tstomped on! What's your name?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tChow. Conrad Chow.\n\n\tThe improbability of this name makes RUBEN deliver an angry\n\tkick to the man's side.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAN\n</b>\t\tSwear to God! <u>Conrad Chow</u>. Never\n\t\tcarry a gun.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tBURT\n</b>\t\tBackup's here...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Burt)\n\t\tThen you get your ass outta here, I\n\t\tdon't wanta see you again...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI brought a present for the lady,\n\t\tthere. I'm looking for her, to give\n\t\ther the present...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou break into her apartment to\n\t\tdeliver a gift? Where is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was open, swear to God,\n\t\tI'm just looking for her when you\n\t\tcome charging up the stairs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhere is it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI'm trying to tell you. It's on the\n\t\tlady's pillow...\n\n\tRuben shoves Conrad into Backup Cop's hands.\n\n<b>\tINT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tRuben comes running in, sees a parcel lying on pillow... \n\tscoops it up, and rips it open. It's a book. He returns\n\tto Conrad, who is now surrounded by police. Ruben holds the\n\tbook up like a question.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDaryll Lee Cullum, he wrote that\n\t\tbook, he wanted the lady to have\n\t\tit. They won't let him send it to\n\t\ther, so I'm getting out, he asks me\n\t\tto deliver it in person, he says,\n\t\tput it on her pillow. It has all\n\t\tabout how he tried to kill her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHe told you she was loaded, any-\n\t\tthing you could steal you could\n\t\tkeep, Conrad? You bought yourself\n\t\ta return ticket to Quentin,\n\t\tbreaking and entering.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tThe door was already open...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWe know...\n\t\t\t(to a cop)\n\t\tSend the book to evidence...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tShe's supposed to have it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tShe don't want it.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BATHROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her\n\tchest.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHelen? Open the door. The guy's\n\t\tnothing. A burglar.\n\n\tShe sits there, says nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tOpen the door. Please.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy don't you shoot off the lock?\n\n\tShe starts to laugh. The sound is awful. After a moment,\n\tshe gets up on wobbly legs and opens the door. RUBEN takes\n\ther to the sink, sort of sits her down on it. Wets a\n\twashcloth, goes to sponge off her face. She is trembling.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe was in my apartment!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI know, baby. I know.\n\n\tWithout warning, in some sort of manic phase of a freak-out,\n\tshe breaks away from him, ricochets through bedroom, down\n\tthe hallway, RUBEN follows, tries to put his arms around\n\ther.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tIt's okay... you're safe with me!\n\n\tHe pulls her down into a chair with him, his arms tight\n\taround her, holding her still. He smoothes her hair, rubs\n\ther neck, pets her like a frightened and resistant cat.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tWhen I was a little kid, and I'd be\n\t\tin a state, my father would hold me\n\t\ton his lap, until all the fight\n\t\twould go out of me...\n\n\tShe breaks free and whacks him across his nose.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou think you're my Daddy?\n\n\tThere is something so perverse about this, so erotic, that\n\tRUBEN kisses her. She goes limp, kisses him back, then\n\tshe's suddenly sobbing. His nose is bleeding, but she's\n\tsmiling. Something between them has finally connected.\n\tBeen agreed upon.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tHelen...honey, you know I gotta go.\n\n\tHe digs out his sneaky gun from whenever he keeps it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou know how to use this?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey taught me at the FBI. I was\n\t\tvery good at it. It scared me... I\n\t\tliked it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tYou take it, hang on to it, it'll\n\t\tmake you feel safer. Stay put.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat else?\n\n\tHe goes.\n\n<b>\tA SONG BEGINS, PRELAPPING THE FOLLOWING SCENES: \"MURDER BY\n</b><b>\tNUMBERS\" BY THE POLICE...\n</b>\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art...\"\n\n<b>\tHELEN OPENS THE WEAPON, SEEMINGLY COMPETENT ENOUGH TO HANDLE\n</b><b>\tIT WELL, AND EMPTIES OUT THE BULLETS. SHE LOCKS IT UP AND\n</b><b>\tHEAVES A SIGH OF RELIEF.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE SONG CONTINUES...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. POLICE STATION - DAY\n</b>\n\tTHE FBI ARRIVES. High angle, looking down: three identical\n\tcars draw in front, park with military precision: all four\n\tdoors on the all three cars open at the same time and\n\tidentically dressed men, in suits, get out, slam the doors\n\tin sync., and march toward the front steps to HQ, ignoring a\n\tcouple of bemused cops smoking on the sidewalk...\n\n<b>\tINT. POLICE HQ - CONTINUOUS\n</b>\n\tAs the parade of FBI, led by their Commander SAKS, walk down\n\tthe corridor from the front door, toward CAMERA, performing\n\ta smart right angle turn, and (CAMERA PANNING TO FOLLOW)\n\tcontinue away from CAMERA down another corridor. Through\n\tthe glass partitions and in the halls they pass cops who\n\tpretend they aren't looking at them: no eye contact between\n\tcops and FBI. The cops are at ease; bellies slop over\n\tbelts; neatly pressed blouses strain over breasts; sweat\n\tstains; shirtsleeves. The marching men wouldn't sweat.\n\n\tQUINN emerges from his office and sees them arriving. He\n\tgets his jacket off a hook on the back of the door, signals\n\ta few top officers to follow. He looks resigned...\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY (LATER)\n</b>\n\tM.J., RUBEN, NIKKO, and a number of other officers are being\n\taddressed by SAKS, an FBI agent. At the back are three more\n\tFBI AGENTS, suited and tied. QUINN stands off to one side.\n<b>\tTHE SONG IS JUST ENDING, ON A CD PLAYER IN THE ROOM. A\n</b>\tprojector beams up a copy of the note RUBEN found in the\n\tphone booth.\n\n\t\tDr. Hudson: Don't lose your head.\n\t\t\"Once that you've decided on a killing\n\t\tFirst you make a stone of your heart\n\t\tAnd if you find that your hands are still willing\n\t\tYou can turn murder into an art.\n\t\tWell, if you have a taste for this experience\n\t\tYou're flushed with your very first success\n\t\tThen you must try a twosome or a threesome\n\t\tBefore your conscience bothers you much less.\n\t\tThen you can join the ranks of the illustrious\n\t\tIn history's great dark hall of fame\n\t\tAll of our greatest killers were industrious\n\t\tAt least the ones that we all know by name.\"\n\n\tSAKS speaks...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tHello. I am (research title)\n\t\tMeryhew Saks. The song is called\n\t\t\"Murder By Numbers.\" The\n\t\tperformers are a group called The\n\t\tPolice. Adam here...\n ... from Behavioral Science is\n\t\tworking out exactly what this\n\t\tperpetrator is trying to telegraph\n\t\tin the note. This is an extremely\n\t\tcomplex case, and we have a lot of\n\t\tfancy theories floating around.\n\t\tWe're not ruling out the possib-\n\t\tility of three Copycat serial\n\t\tkillers. We have Quantico working\n\t\ton graphology, the Washington lap\n\t\tis cloning DNA from the secretor.\n\t\tIt's our feeling that the best lead\n\t\twe have is the two sperm samples in\n\t\tone of the victims. We have a team\n\t\tsweeping sperm banks. Now I want\n\t\tto say a few word to you local\n\t\tpeople. Your Commissioner asked\n\t\tfor our assistance. The Bureau\n\t\tdoes not send us in on these cases\n\t\tto lord it over the local police.\n\t\tWe couldn't catch up on what you\n\t\tpeople know if we had a year. We\n\t\thave nation-wide resources and hard\n\t\tstate of the art forensic science;\n\t\tyou have the local savvy. Together\n\t\twe can be unbeatable. Which one is\n\t\tInspector Halloran?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOver here.\n\n\tSAKS approaches M.J., guides her away from the others.\n\tTWO SHOT: Saks is unctuous and insincere, self-confident.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe don't see too many lady homicide\n\t\tdetectives. You have <u>my</u> respect.\n\t\tHave you discussed the note with\n\t\tDr. Hudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSomeone broke into her place last\n\t\tnight. It wasn't connected to our\n\t\tcase, but it shook her up pretty\n\t\tbad so I haven't...\n\n\tQUINN joins them, SAKS gives him a nod.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tI was just about to advise the\n\t\tInspector here not to show Dr.\n\t\tHudson the note.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSir, Doctor Hudson and I see a\n\t\tpattern develop...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(riding over her)\n\t\tWe know Helen. She's not exactly a\n\t\tcredible collaborator. Especially\n\t\tlate in the day...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe takes tranquilizers her doctor\n\t\tprescribes.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWho prescribes the brandy?\n\n\tM.J.'S look makes SAKS smile. QUINN is called to the phone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow come you're so up on Dr.\n\t\tHudson?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tShe is a writer, writing best\n\t\tselling books about serial killing.\n\t\tGiving lectures she's well-paid\n\t\tfor. Her interests are not the\n\t\tinterests of law enforcement.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOkay.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWe've put a tap on Dr. Hudson's\n\t\tphone. I know you won't mention\n\t\tit.\n\n\tSo much for any trusting relationship, right? QUINN has\n\tarrived, addresses SAKS.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSorry to interrupt. I need a word\n\t\twith my officer...\n\n\tHe turns to M.J. Diplomatically, SAKS moves away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tM.J., I'm going to have to borrow\n\t\tRuben. The alien-smuggling thing\n\t\tin Chinatown is going down tomorrow\n\t\tnight and Jack's kid got hit by a\n\t\tcar. I gotta give Ruben to Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does this mean? Now we got\n\t\tthe FBI, my team is expendable?\n\t\tI'm working my ass off, is anybody\n\t\tlistening? Why Ruben, anyway? He\n\t\tand Nikko don't even get on\n\t\ttogether...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tTeach both of them a lesson in\n\t\tcooperation and self-discipline.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIf this is a first step in kicking\n\t\tme off the case, just tell me, to\n\t\tmy face, sir, don't waste time\n\t\tbeing diplomatic.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tJust, I need results. And -- I am\n\t\tshort-handed. Who else am I gonna\n\t\tgive him?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at Saks)\n\t\tGive him <u>that</u>pompous son of a\n\t\tbitch.\n\n\tShe turns and leaves, brushing past Saks as she goes... Gigi\n\tmeets her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tLab called. They got a result on\n\t\tthe drug test you requested...?\n\n\tIt takes a moment to remember what it was...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tThey said it was Windex?\n\n\tIf there was any residual doubt about what's happening, it's\n\tgone now. She starts after Quinn, sees he is in spirited\n\tdialogue with SAKS and decides to wait.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tHELEN and M.J. Helen unfolds a xerox copy of the note, that\n\tM.J. has just given her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t...\"I'll be back...\"\n\n\tAs she looks at the back of the note... she looks up into\n\tM.J.'S face.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYeah. Addressed to you. \"Don't\n\t\tlose your head.\"\n\n\tHelen puts down the note. She is holding herself together\n\tby main will power... doesn't want to face that note...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey put Merry <u>Saks</u> on it?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHe said to send you his regards and \n\t\tto tell you that the Bureau holds\n\t\tyou in the highest esteem.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat I can't believe is that in an\n\t\tearlier life I slept with him!\n\t\tChrist! Any God that loved his\n\t\tpeople would give women a rewind on\n\t\ttheir life and an erase button.\n\t\t\t(looks at M.J.)\n\t\tJust give me a minute here. The\n\t\tletter is addressed to me...\n\t\t\t(she's breathing\n\t\t\t fast, controls it)\n\t\tYou don't feel fear, do you?\n\t\tYou're young. You feel like you'll\n\t\tlive forever. How wonderful.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI put my ass on the line, giving\n\t\tyou that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey weren't going to show it to\n\t\tme?! The arrogance! It's my <u>life</u>!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's also the major piece of\n\t\tevidence, and it makes you a key\n\t\tpart of his plan. You can't run\n\t\taway from it anymore.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tLook at the order he's doing\n\tthem... He did three as the Boston\n\t\tStrangler just to tell us a copycat\n\t\tserial killer was at work. Then he\n\t\tdid one like the Hillside Strang-\n\t\tler. And then one as Son of Sam.\n\t\tTo lead us on -- to where and what\n\t\tend? And he's doing more than that\n\t\t-- he's imitating each killer's\n\t\tmethod as closely as he can -- in\n\t\tdetails. Injecting Windex. Using\n\t\t.44. Playing Abba.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's not chronological: Son of Sam\n\t\twas before Hillside.\n\n\tShe begins to read.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tIt's clear he thinks he knows me.\n\t\tHe lives a fantasy. 'Helen, don't\n\t\tlose your head.' Is that a threat?\n\t\tDoes he want to cut off my head?\n\t\tDahmer cut off heads. Who else?\n\t\tKemper. Did Gacy? Rivkind? I\n\t\tthink Rivkind did.\n\n\tShe puts the note down on the table, smoothes it out. She\n\tcloses her eyes for a moment. We begin to see certain\n\tfiltered images. As they come, we INTERCUT them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe attacks what he feels he can't\n\t\thave. What he feels excluded\n\t\tfrom...\n\n<b>\tEXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY\n</b>\n\tLush, pastoral green. We see PETER sitting by himself. He\n\twears a WHITE LAB COAT, like one we saw hanging in his\n\tbasement.\n\n\tHIS POV: of students on the green, playing Frisbee,\n\tstudying together, picnicking. Women sunbathe, their straps\n\tpulled down on their shoulders, their tops rolled up to\n\texpose their midriffs.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t'First you make a stone of your\n\t\theart.'... Oh yes! <u>He</u> doesn't\n\t\tsuffer. That's past. Now it's our\n\t\tturn.\n\n\tOne of the sunbathing girls sits up and looks round, then\n\ttakes her top off entirely.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tKemper said in order to have the\n\t\texperience he wanted with them, he\n\t\tneeded to evict them from their\n\t\tbodies. By making the body a\n\t\tcompletely passive object, he\n\t\treleases <u>himself</u> from passivity.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN, DEEP IN THOUGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tBut the relief he feels is only\n\t\ttemporary. '...Before your\n\t\tconscience bothers you much\n\t\tless...' But the tension always\n\t\tcomes back.\n\t\t\t(she now picks out\n\t\t\t the words:)\n\t\t'You can join the ranks of the\n\t\tillustrious...' He wants to be\n\t\tlike <u>them</u>. The best. To become\n\t\tthe best. But, he has his own\n\t\tdesires, his own compulsions apart\n\t\tfrom theirs.' His own horrors...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFLASHBACK: PETER'S CHILDHOOD HOME - DAY\n</b>\n\tAn incremental flash of a SMALL BOY standing by his bed\n\twhich he has wet. His pajamas are soaked. His powerful\n\tMOTHER grabs him by the hair and drags him with her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tSome horrors that are all his\n\t\town...\n\n\tThe SMALL BOY is flung into an under-stairs closet where\n\tfirewood and stacked papers are kept. The door is slammed\n\thard. He gropes around in the darkness, finds a big box of\n\tmatches, lights one. Then, angrily, he sets fire to a pile\n\tof newspapers. They start to burn. We see, but do not,\n\thear, his screams for help.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHe needs to prove they don't\n\t\tcontrol him, that he's the one in\n\t\tcontrol. But the feeling of power\n\t\tnever lasts. He can control his\n\t\tvictims, but he can't control\n\t\tanything else... his place in the\n\t\tworld. He want s to be recognized.\n\t\tHe puts messages in my computer; he\n\t\tsends me a letter...\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tShe picks out the lines... \"then you must try a twosome or a\n\tthreesome.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tOf course he wants to do a\n\t\tthreesome! Only Bundy did three in\n\t\tone day. Is Bundy next? But Bundy\n\t\tshould be last... the grand finale.\n\t\tWhat about Kemper and Ramirez?\n\t\tGacy, Dahmer, Williams? Rivkind?\n\t\tWho else is on his list? In what\n\t\torder?\n\n<b>\tEXT. CITY STREET - DAY\n</b>\n\tPETER in his car. Ahead, he see TWO GIRLS at a bus stop.\n\tWe see PETER take a long bladed-knife and carefully conceal\n\tit under his right thigh. The TWO GIRLS are wearing\n\tbackpacks. 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE' stickers decorate the bags.\n\tPETER pulls his nondescript sedan up to them and says\n\tsomething. They giggle, shake their heads. He laughs,\n\tholds up his hands to level of his shoulders in a '<u>Not</u>\n\t<u>guilty</u>!' gesture, then makes a peace sign. The girls giggle\n\tagain, but do not get in.\n\n\tPETER drives off.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t'...great dark hall of fame... all\n\t\tour greatest killers...' His\n\t\tgreatest <u>heroes</u>? He wants to be\n\t\tfamous. When they're caught and\n\t\tpeople like me write about them, we\n\t\tgive them a kind of immortality.\n\t\tThey get thousands of letters.\n\t\tRamirez kills eight women and gets\n\t\ta hundred marriage proposals a\n\t\tmonth. They're like film stars.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey get fan letters...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PRISON - DAY WARDEN FELIX MENDOZA IN HIS OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tFELIX\n</b>\t\tWe keep records of any threatening\n\t\tor illegal correspondence, like\n\t\trelatives of victims who might want\n\t\tto send the condemned man some\n\t\tstrychnine cookies. So it's only a\n\t\tpartial list, but you're still\n\t\tlooking at about forty pages...\n\n<b>\tMONTAGE OF PICTURE AND SOUND: WE BEGIN TO SEE MOVING LISTS\n</b><b>\tOF NAMES -- LIKE SCHINDLER'S LIST -- SUPERIMPOSED OVER THE\n</b><b>\tSHORT SNIPPETS OF SCENES... A WATERFALL OF NAMES...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT FAX MACHINE: LISTS OF NAMES BEING EXCRETED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWould you fax those pages to me?\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. on the phone. On the desk in front of her, is a list\n\tof killers, complementary to HELEN'S.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThank you for your help, Warden\n\t\tHillyer. As soon as you can.\n\n\tShe hangs up as GIGI puts a long fax sheet of names on\n\tM.J's desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIGI\n</b>\t\tHot off the fax. Mr. Rivkind's\n\t\tfans.\n\n\tM.J. doesn't look at the Rivkind list, just crosses his name\n\toff the killer list and picks up the phone, dials, waits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: FAX OF A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES IS SCANNED BY A\n</b><b>\tSCANNER; UNIQUE SOUND OF SCANNER AND FLASHING LIGHTS.\n</b><b>\tANOTHER PAGE IS SCANNED IN.\n</b>\n<b>\tCOMPUTER SCREEN: CALERA WORDSCAN: SAME PAGE APPEARS AND IS\n</b><b>\tREAD BY COMPUTER (A FILM OF COLOR MOVES OVER THE PAGE\n</b><b>\tSHOWING AREA SCANNED.) PAGE THEN REAPPEARS WITH ERRORS\n</b><b>\tMARKED BY COLOR;\n</b>\n<b>\tON SCREEN THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES SCROLL BY -- THERE ARE\n</b><b>\tHUNDREDS, MAYBE THOUSANDS OF NAMES... IMPOSSIBLE TO READ AND\n</b><b>\tCOMPARE...\n</b>\n<b>\tA COMPUTER SCREEN MIXES WITH THIS: -- BOOLEAN SEARCH TERMS\n</b><b>\tBEING TYPED IN, MEANING \"LOOKING FOR LAST NAMES, IGNORING CASE,\n</b><b>\tOCCURRING ON MORE THAN ONE LIST, AND/OR MORE THAN ONCE,\n</b><b>\tCOUNT NUMBER OF HITS.\"\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE COMPUTER SCREEN SCROLLS NAMES FASTER AND FASTER, EVERY\n</b><b>\tONCE IN WHILE HALTING A SPLIT SECOND ON A NAME, AND\n</b><b>\tRESUMING. SUPERIMPOSED IS A FLASHING LEGEND:\n</b>\n<b>\tPLEASE WAIT. DO NOT TOUCH KEYS OR SEARCH DATA WILL BE LOST.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf we keep going and work till\n\t\tmidnight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tSorry, Luv. I've got a date.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tYou've got a date right <u>here</u>, Andy.\n\t\tThis has got to...\n\n\tWE NOW SEE ANDY is feeding the scanner, he has a thick sheaf\n\tof faxed lists...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tIt's almost six. And guess what?\n\t\tHall likes me bathed and shaved.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tStop acting like a silly little\n\t\tfag!\n\n\tHis eyebrows arch, but his smile stays in place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tMy life to live, darling, try to\n\t\tremember what it was like way, way\n\t\tback when you were young and sexy\n\t\tand <u>alive</u>.\n\n\tHe gets up and walks toward the door.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou bastard!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tBut </u>alive</u>!\n\n\tTHE DOOR SLAMS (O.S.) HELEN angrily hits the keys:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE ENDLESS LIST FLOWS LIKE MUDDY WATER ACROSS THE SCREEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN -- HER FACE REFLECTS THE SCROLL OF NAMES (AS THOUGH\n</b><b>\tTHEY WERE PROJECTED ON HER FACE IN REVERSE.) SHE IS TOTALLY\n</b><b>\tFOCUSSED, BUT NERVOUS; SHE LIGHTS A CIGARETTE AS\n</b>\n<b>\tCAMERA DOLLIES IN CLOSER AND CLOSER TO HER EYES AND THEN TO\n</b><b>\tONE EYE ONLY UNTIL THE EYE, THE IRIS AND FINALLY THE PUPIL\n</b><b>\tFILL THE SCREEN: IN THEM IS REFLECTED THOSE NAMES POURING\n</b><b>\tPAST IN THEIR THOUSANDS, UNTIL WE HEAR A GASP. A KEYSTROKE\n</b><b>\tOFFSTAGE, AND THE NAMES STOP: ANOTHER KEYSTROKE AND ONE NAME\n</b><b>\tAMONG THEM ALL SUDDENLY FREEZES IN HER PUPIL:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tThe dirty bastard! More games!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. is entering at front door, let in by a new Guard FRED.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tIt's not a real name: it's the name\n\t\tof a mass murderer in Germany in\n\t\tthe 1930s. They called him the\n\t\tMonster of Dusseldorf.\n\n\tM.J. is turning into the Office; she carries a portfolio of\n\tlists of her own.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tLet's speed up the game plan...\n\t\tcall all the living serials to ask\n\t\tif they've had contact with a Peter\n\t\tKurten. We could use some help on\n\t\tthe phones...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThey're not talking to me. Saks\n\t\tlooks right through me. I ask him\n\t\tfor some bodies, for the phones --\n\t\the's so encouraging: \"you make that\n\t\t<u>your</u> little job.\" Condescending\n\t\tbastard.\n\t\t\t(careful)\n\t\tHelen, on your lists to call is San\n\t\tQuentin. Daryll Lee Cullum?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou do that one, I don't want it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SAN QUENTIN WARDENS' OFFICE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tMITCHELL\n</b>\t\tSergeant Halloran is it? I've\n\t\tgot a list of Daryll Lee's\n\t\tcorrespondents. There is a\n\t\tPeter Kurten among them.\n\t\tDaryll Lee claims he has\n\t\tinformation about Kurten, but\n\t\the'll only talk to Dr. Hudson\n\t\tpersonally. Nobody else. The\n\t\tcreep's been studying his\n\t\tamendments. My guess is he\n\t\tdoesn't have zip. Just\n\t\tangling for a chance to ask if\n\t\ther bra size is still the\n\t\tsame. We get this shit all\n\t\tthe time, but it's her call.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThanks, Warden.\n\t\t\t(determined)\n\t\tShe'll talk to him.\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHELEN, M.J. They are waiting, Helen tense, smoking,\n\tatmosphere charged...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDo those things really help?\n\n\tLike she really wished they might, so she could have one.\n\tHelen looks at her cigarette as though she'd never seen one\n\tbefore... grinds it out...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tNot a damn bit...\n\n\tAnd unconsciously lights another during following...\n<b>\tPHONE RINGS. M.J. PICKS IT UP, LISTENS, HANDS IT TO HELEN...\n</b>\tGestures encouragement; fist in victory gesture...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tINTERCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PENITENTIARY INTERVIEW ROOM\n</b>\n\tDARYLL LEE CULLUM is on the phone, a Warden is attendance,\n\tbut not on the phone line. On this rare contact with the\n\toutside world HE IS MANIC...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHey, Doc! How you doing?\n\n\tShe turns on speakerphone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHello, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou read my book which as you know,\n\t\thit the stands a couple of weeks\n\t\tago. You read it yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat book?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\t\t(indignant)\n\t\tI sent it by private courier, he\n\t\tdidn't give it to you? That son of\n\t\ta gun...!\n\n\tHelen looks at M.J., who indicates 'tell you later.'\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI'll look for it, Daryll Lee.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tBet you never figured I'd follow in\n\t\tyour footsteps. It's real well-\n\t\twritten. You should read it --\n\t\tyou're in it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI will. I'll call you, Daryll, and\n\t\ttalk to you about it after I've\n\t\tread it. Right now I have a\n\t\tquestion... Peter Kurten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tKurten! Is he bothering you? I\n\t\ttold that son I'd send him what he\n\t\twanted if he leave you alone.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAh ha. What did he want?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tSomething personal. Is he bothering\n\t\tyou?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't know. I'd like to know\n\t\twhere he is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tListen, you want my advice? Steer\n\t\tclear. He's writing me he's gonna\n\t\tfinish 'my unfinished symphony.'\n\t\tHe's gonna give me $550 for some of\n\t\tmy cum, he says he's in a position\n\t\tto see that I will be immortal if\n\t\the has some of my spunk. I'm\n\t\toffended. Right away I smell\n\t\t<u>freak</u>. Writin' about him and me\n\t\tand <u>you</u> bein' joined and he's gonna\n\t\tfinish my <u>symphony</u>? I didn't care\n\t\tfor his drift. I sent some liquid\n\t\tsoap in a sandwich baggie with a\n\t\tmessage from Jesus to mend his\n\t\tways. You hear I found Jesus? And\n\t\twhat's funny is, now I don't mind\n\t\tbein' inside. If I was out, even\n\t\tBorn Again, I'd probably get\n\t\trestless again. It's maybe better\n\t\tI stay here, what do you think?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI think whatever is best for you,\n\t\tDaryll. And maybe you're right,\n\t\tthat's the place.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tYou come and visit.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere did you send the message to\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tDamn! I gave that to Conrad, too!\n\t\tThat guy! I told Conrad deliver to\n\t\tKurten and keep the 500 bucks in\n\t\treturn for getting my book to you.\n\n\tAt this mention of Conrad, M.J. leaps to another phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHow was Conrad supposed to find\n\t\tKurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tConrad has the phone number.\n\t\tConrad, where is he?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(from M.J.'s pantomime)\n\t\tIn jail.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL\n</b>\t\tThat Klutz. They send him back\n\t\there, I'll kick his ass good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDARYLL LEE\n</b>\t\tHelen, how is life, you okay? Come\n\t\tsee me, talk to me. I think about\n\t\tyou, worry about you all the time.\n\t\tI am so glad Jesus didn't let me\n\t\tkill you. You know -- you're\n\t\tblessed by Jesus. That's why you\n\t\tneed to come talk to me, because\n\t\tJesus kept you alive for a reason,\n\t\tand I was his sacred instrument...\n\t\tIn the moment Satan was in my heart\n\t\traising my hand to kill you, Jesus\n\t\ttook my hand to spare you. I am\n\t\tboth death and life to you...\n\n\tHelen hangs up. M.J. has already left...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tPandemonium: the Chinatown raid has been carried off and\n\tNIKKO AND RUBEN and a dozen other cops are booking a group\n\tof Chinese gangsters of all ages, and a group of frightened\n\tand confused Chinese illegal aliens. TOTAL UPROAR.\n\n<b>\tTHROUGH IT, WE MOVE WITH M.J. SHE PASSES RUBEN WHO IS\n</b><b>\tGRABBING A CHINESE KID STRUNG OUT ON SOMETHING, OUT OF A\n</b><b>\tLINE OF SUSPECTS... HE ASIDES:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI brought back a gin-seng popper\n\t\tfor you. Guaranteed all-night\n\t\torgasms.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tSave it for Helen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(enough already!)\n\t\tWait a minute, wait a goddamn\n\t\tminute...\n\n\tHe manhandles the KID INTO DOCILITY WHILE...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tThe woman was in shock. She was\n\t\ttotally out on ranks. I stayed\n\t\tbecause I didn't want her to wake\n\t\tup alone in a place where she'd\n\t\tjust been under attack.\n\t\t\t(to the Kid who is\n\t\t\t restless)\n\t\tStop that, you son of a bitch!\n\t\t\t(back to her)\n\t\tThe place wasn't secure. I was\n\t\tdoing my goddamn job! And, for the\n\t\t<u>second time</u>, I slept in her living\n\t\troom.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't try to lie, Ruben. You don't\n\t\thave the face for it. I need you\n\t\tto help interrogate the burglar in\n\t\tHudson's place...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tTalk to Nikko...!\n\n<b>\tSHE MOVES ON TO FIND NIKKO\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sites at his desk, processing the papers for the sullen\n\tYOUNG THUG who is handcuffed to a chain next to NIKKO'S\n\tdesk. Nikko unholsters his gun... he shoves it into his\n\tdesk drawer...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tYou speak English?\n\t\t\t(Chinese)\n\t\tYou need an interpreter?\n\n\tQUINN, walking past the ILLEGALS, speaks to GIGI.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI didn't want the Illigals, I wanted\n\t\tjust the bastards dumping them in\n\t\tthe harbor. What's keeping those\n\t\tbums at Immigration? Nightmare in\n\t\there...\n\n<b>\tM.J. STANDS OVER NIKKO\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI gotta have Ruben, and a...\n\n<b>\tHARROWING SCREAM!!! ILLEGAL WOMAN IS SCREAMING --\n</b><b>\tPANDEMONIUM AMONG THE DETAINEES. COPS RUSH TO CONTROL THE\n</b><b>\tPROBLEM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tOutta your mind? Look at this...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to Quinn)\n\t\tLieutenant...?\n\n\tJust at that moment the kid Ruben was booking goes totally\n\tbananas; M.J. goes to his assistance, wrestling this wild\n\tkid.\n\n\tNIKKO starts from his chair, looking for the key to the\n\tdrawer, but is isn't there... he goes to help Ruben get the\n\tkid under control. Quinn steps in...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThe prowler in Hudson's apartment\n\t\tturns out to have a meeting with a\n\t\tsuspect...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(amazed)\n\t\tYou got a suspect...\n\n<b>\tTHEY MOVE BACK TO NIKKO'S DESK.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tHow'd you get in on the deal?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm gonna drop charges on the\n\t\tbreak-and-enter at Hudson's...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYou have no authority to make a\n\t\tdeal like that. That' s for the\n<b>\t\tD.A...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOr the F.B.I.?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSaks. If he knew you did that!\n\t\tThey're all asking me, 'what is she\n\t\tdoing,' as it is.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGive me Ruben back...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWe get through this shit, let 'em\n\t\t<u>all</u> go.\n\n\tNIKKO has stood and moved the handcuffed THUG toward the\n\tdoor to jail cells. M.J. checks her time, (WALL CLOCKS HELP\n<b>\tUS HERE: 8:47)\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll talk to Conrad myself. I'll\n\t\tbe in the jail when you wind this\n\t\tup...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tI gotta get something to eat, I\n\t\thaven't eaten all day.\n\n\tM.J. goes... RUBEN can't find a desk to work at, and\n\tcommandeers Nikko's. He slams the KID into NIKKO'S chair\n\tand cuffs him. KID starts to rattle his chairs, spew\n\tChinese epithets, then bends over the desk and, with his\n\tteeth picks up some paper, tries to shake it to shreds.\n\n\tRUBEN yanks the papers out of the KID'S mouth, pulls the\n\tKID'S chair from the side to the front of the desk, shoves\n\tthe KID into place facing away from the desk, so that he\n\tcan't do any more damage. Then RUBEN can't figure out where\n\the can work. At the next desk, where he has been working,\n\tMAC rises.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tMAC\n</b>\t\tHere... I'm finished...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\t\t(to Kid)\n\t\tI'm going to the coffee machine.\n\t\tHold the fort.\n\n\tHe moves off, the KID'S eyes move calculatingly around the\n\troom. He twists against the cuffs, trying anything to get\n\tfree, and discovers he can pull out the desk drawer.\n\n\tCLOSE UP: The KID'S FREE HAND rifling through the drawer\n\tbehind his back, finding the gun. PULL BACK to show the\n\tKID. He is as Ruben positioned him, his back pressed\n\tagainst the desk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. CITY JAIL CELL - DAY\n</b>\n\tCONRAD is brought in by a Guard. Lightly shacked. M.J.\n\tstands. Conrad sits.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWho are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tInspector Halloran. Homicide.\n\t\tYou were supposed to contact a\n\t\tPeter Kurten?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(cagey)\n\t\tI was? How you spell that?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tCut the crap. You got a sheet the\n\t\tlength of my arm...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never hurt nobody...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShut up -- I'm talking. You got\n\t\tfelony breaking and entering,\n\t\tburglary, felonious...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\t\t(interrupting)\n\t\tI never carried a gun!\n\n\tShe slaps him hard! He is shocked.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou don't listen very good. This\n\t\tbreak in -- I can call it a felony --\n\t\tthree strikes, and you got about\n\t\tsixteen strikes already, and you're\n\t\tin jail for the rest of your life,\n\t\tno parole. Or I could see it gets\n\t\tforgotten.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tYou get me out first.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDoesn't work that way. You had your\n\t\tchance, now fuck yourself...\n\n\tShe's walking to the door... Conrad holds out just one more\n\tbeat to see if she's bluffing... her hand is on the door\n\tknob...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tTell me what you want me to say.\n\t\tAnything.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou were going to make a delivery\n\t\tto Peter Kurten for Daryll Lee\n\t\tCullum. I want Kurten's phone\n\t\tnumber.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tI don't have it...\n\n\tM.J. starts to open the door...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWait... wait... I already called\n\t\thim, I threw it away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou already made the delivery?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tNo, that's still in my jacket I was\n\t\twearing. We were supposed to meet\n\t\ton the docks, that number 47 wharf,\n\t\t10 o'clock Friday. He's gonna hand\n\t\tme 500 bucks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat Friday?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tWhat day is this? In jail you lose\n\t\ttrack. This week. Friday.\n\n\tM.J. is already on her way...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tCONRAD\n</b>\t\tDon't forget me, please. I told\n\t\tyou what you wanted -- don't forget\n\t\tme.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tDESERTED. A LONG SHADOW OF A MAN STRETCHES OUT ACROSS THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK. IT IS PETER, WALKING LEISURELY FROM THE WATERFRONT\n</b><b>\tDRIVE TOWARD THE HUGE WATERHOUSE AT THE END OF THE DOCK. HE\n</b><b>\tSTEPS INTO THE DEEP SHADOWS AND SEEMS TO VANISH.\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: PETER. HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND TURNS TO WATCH THE\n</b><b>\tDOCK AND THE SHORE. HE CAN SEE AND NOT BE SEEN. HE IS \n</b><b>\tENTIRELY ALONE NOW.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tRUBEN takes coffee and doughnuts out of a box, then leans\n\tover the KID who seems to have calmed down. He uncuffs him\n\tfrom the chair.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRUBEN\n</b>\t\tBehave. You refuse my hospitality,\n\t\tI'm putting you to bed.\n\n\tHe pushes the coffee toward the Kid, who WHIPS NIKKO'S GUN\n\tOUT FROM UNDER THE DESK, where it was hidden, and lays it up\n\tunder Ruben's ear. KID moves behind RUBEN and puts a skinny\n\tarm around RUBEN'S neck, pulling him upright. RUBEN still\n\tclutching the doughnut box. It takes a moment for the\n\tothers to SEE. Then the room is absolutely motionless.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tTake it easy, Kid. Nobody's gonna\n\t\tdo anything. Just let the gun\n\t\tdown, so it don't go off...\n\n<b>\tA CHINESE DETECTIVE REPEATS THE SAME IDEA IN CHINESE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\t\t(screams)\n\t\tNobody comes through the door...\n\n\tBehind the KID, as he backs through the door, across the\n\tcorridor we LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN A CORRIDOR TO WHERE M.J. IS\n\tCOMING ALMOST AT A RUN -- SHE SEES what is happening.\n\n\tThe KID doesn't see her, yet, as he is backing away from the\n\tothers... M.J. DRAWS HER GUN AND STANDS IN FIRING POSITION.\n\n<b>\tIF SHE FIRES FROM HERE RUBEN IS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE KID, AND\n</b><b>\tOTHER OFFICERS, IN THE LINE THE BULLET WOULD TAKE ARE STILL\n</b><b>\tSCRAMBLING OUT OF HER LINE... SHE CAN'T FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHey, <u>you</u>...\n\n\tThe KID turns, sees her, exposing his shoulder to her... SHE\n<b>\tFIRES AND HITS THE KID.\n</b>\n<b>\tHE IS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND TWISTED AROUND BY THE IMPACT,\n</b><b>\tLANDING BEHIND RUBEN SO SHE CAN'T MAKE A SECOND SHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tRUBEN GOES FOR HIS OWN GUN, BUT THE KID'S GUN THAT FELL FROM\n</b><b>\tHIS HAND IS RIGHT BY HIM STILL. THE KID GRABS IT AND FIRES\n</b><b>\tBEFORE RUBEN HAS HIS GUN ALL THE WAY OUT OF HIS HOLSTER. THE\n</b><b>\tKID SHOOTS RUBEN IN THE THROAT AT AN ANGLE THAT TAKES THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET STRAIGHT INTO HIS BRAIN.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN THE KID THROWS THE GUN AWAY, AND STANDS, HIS HANDS UP\n</b><b>\tIN SURRENDER, A GRIN ON HIS FACE. THIS ENTIRE ACTION HAS\n</b><b>\tTAKEN ABOUT SIX SECONDS. THE KID GOES DOWN, FLATTENED BY\n</b><b>\tBODIES OF THE COPS WHO HAVE RUSHED HIM.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tKID\n</b>\t\tI'm a juvenile! I'm a juvenile!\n\n<b>\tM.J. RUSHES TO RUBEN.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER, STANDING AS BEFORE. CHECKS HIS WATCH, LIGHTS A\n</b><b>\tCIGARETTE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT (LATER)\n</b>\n\tThe KID has been taken away. PARAMEDICS are removing\n\tRUBEN'S body. M.J. stands frozen as RUBEN'S stretcher is\n\tcarried out of the room. Her hand holds the doughnut box.\n\n\tFinally, M.J. blinks, her head turns as if she can't imagine\n\twhat to do, where to go. Then, suddenly conscious of the\n\tdoughnut box, she clutches it tight against her chest.\n\n<b>\tCLOSE: M.J.\n</b>\n\tShe abruptly remembers: the rendezvous with Peter Kurten!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tGigi! Dock 47. I need a couple\n\t\tunits to drag the area...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. WATERFRONT - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWIDE FULL SHOT: DEEP SHADOWS AND HIGHLIGHTS. IN THE BLACK\n</b><b>\tCAVERN OF THE DOCK, FOOTSTEPS BEGIN TO ECHO, THEN OUT OF\n</b><b>\tSHADOW INTO LIGHT COMES\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER. HE WALKS AWAY INTO THE NIGHT. FAR FAR AWAY SIRENS\n</b><b>\tBEGIN TO SOUND -- THEY'LL BE TOO LATE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tNIKKO sits, numb. If possible, NIKKO is more devastated than\n\tM.J. She speaks to NIKKO, but does not look at him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tQuinn will be here any minute. What\n\t\tare you going to say?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tChrist. I didn't lock the fucking\n\t\tdrawer! You spend twenty years\n\t\tthinking some perp's gonna whack\n\t\tyou... you'll crash your car... but\n\t\twhat happens is, you fuck\n\t\tyourself...\n\t\t\t(a chocked laugh)\n\t\tYou can't imagine how many times I\n\t\tsaw you two... your head together,\n\t\tI wish him dead. Every time...\n\t\tWant to hear something weird? I\n\t\tfeel like I'd give my life to bring\n\t\thim back.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou're in terrible trouble, Nikko.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck? In all the years\n\t\tI never seen you cry.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tYou loved him.\n\n\tM.J. looks away.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWho gives a fuck?\n\n\tQUINN enters to find his two senior officers in tears. Pays\n\tno attention to Conrad.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNikko. My office? M.J., I wanna\n\t\tsee you later.\n\n\tNikko stands, and he and Quinn exit. M.J. SITS STARING INTO\n<b>\tHER MISERY.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. GAY NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tVery crowded with a generally young clientele. Big dance\n\tscene. A number of men wear 70's costume... an occasional\n\tbit of drag.\n\n\tANDY and HAL dancing... ANDY with great abandon. HAL seems\n\tto need a break. He leads a good-naturedly protesting ANDY\n\tback to their table. They find a stranger sitting there.\n\n<b>\tIT IS PETER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. QUINN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. ENTERS AND CROSSES TO HIS DESK.\n</b>\n\tOn his desk lie a badge and a gun -- Nikko's. M.J. is\n\tlooking at them as\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\t(nothing her look)\n\t\tHe's on temp leave with pay. I\n\t\ttalked the Commissioner out of no\n\t\tpay.\n\n\tM.J. pulls her badge out and puts it down in front of Quinn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want mine, too? You take his,\n\t\tyou take mine. I'm the one fucked\n\t\tit up...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSo I'm maybe gonna lose three good\n\t\tcops? You fucked up on this\n\t\toccasion, but don't be so hard on\n\t\tyourself. There's something I want\n\t\tyou to think about. The book says\n\t\tif you use your gun, use it to\n\t\tkill, that's what it's meant to do.\n\t\tYou tried to pick this punk off\n\t\twith fancy shooting, to keep him\n\t\talive. To what end? You're not\n\t\twilling to kill, you can't be a\n\t\tcop. Go get drunk. I am.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen is lying wide awake. THE PHONE RINGS. HER ANSWERING\n<b>\tMACHINE -- SHE CAN HEAR IT CLEARLY IN THIS LOFT APARTMENT...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tIf yo dialed carefully you've\n\t\treached your dream number. Now,\n\t\tyou know what to do.\n\t\t\t(beep)\n\n<b>\t\"THE POLICE\" SINGING \"YMCA\" IS HEARD!\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. NIGHTCLUB PAYPHONE NEAR THE MEN'S ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS THERE ON A PAYPHONE: HE NOW HOLDS UP A WALKMAN\n</b><b>\tTAPE RECORDER TO THE MOUTHPIECE... PRESSES A BUTTON...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S OWN VOICE IS HEARD. ECHOING THROUGH THE LOFT SPACE\n</b>\tFROM THE OFFICE. \"YMCA\" HEARD IN B.G. Helen leaps out of\n\tbed and runs down the hall, as:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t... their compulsion is less about\n\t\tsex than it is about control.\n\t\tPower. Action. Release from\n\t\tpassivity. Albert DeSalvo, Bianchi\n\t\tand Buono, Berkowitz, Dahmer...\n\tDahmer killed his first victim\n\t\tbecause the boy just wanted to go\n\t\thome. Bundy said he wanted to\n\t\tmaster life. And death...\n\n\tShe has reached the machine: she picks up the phone...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Kurten!\n\n<b>\tINT. CLUB PAYPHONE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HANGS UP THE PHONE, SLIPS THE TAPE RECORDER IN HIS\n</b><b>\tPOCKET AND TAKES A FEW STEPS TO THE MAIN FLOOR OF THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHTCLUB. OVER HIS SHOULDER WE CAN SEE: ANDY AND HAL\n</b>\tDANCING. Andy is wearing a bright and distinctive jacket.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA new guard, FRED, is letting M.J. in. FOR THE FIRST TIME,\n\tHELEN IS GLAD TO SEE HER. As M.J. walks down toward her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou were right! He knew me! He\n\t\twent to my lectures. He recorded\n\t\tthem! Listen to this...\n\n\tShe is too full of her own shock to wonder why M.J. is here\n\tat this hour and to notice the state M.J. is in... she has\n\tturned back to the answering machine and hits the play\n\tbutton, M.J. standing beside her... She also has the text of\n\tthe lecture on her computer screen:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANSWERING MACHINE\n</b>\t\t...Action. Release from passivity.\n\t\tAlbert DeSalvo, Bianchi and Buono,\n\t\tBerkowitz, Dahmer... Dahmer killed\n\t\this first victim because the boy\n\t\tjust wanted to go home. Bundy said\n\t\the wanted to master life. And\n\t\tdeath...\n\n<b>\tAND THE MUSIC FROM THE NIGHTCLUB BLARING IN THE B.G.\n</b>\tHelen has turned and now sees M.J.'s condition. SHE STOPS\n<b>\tTHE TAPE...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhat happened to you?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tRuben's dead. So stupid, a cop\n\t\tthing, a crazy kid and a buncha\n\t\tdumb mistakes... I'm sorry...\n\t\tbecause you and he...\n\n\tTears start again, just running down, no sobs, but she can't\n\twill them away. She brushes at them angrily...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI just thought it was so --\n\t\tunprofessional. Of you both!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe felt sorry for me. It was so\n\t\tnice to flirt. He was a darling\n\t\tman.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tA man? I thought he was a boy.\n\t\t\t(bursting out)\n\t\tThis last Christmas was the\n\t\thappiest Christmas I had in the\n\t\tlast ten years... you know why? It\n\t\twas the first Christmas in six\n\t\tyears I was not in love. Son of a\n\t\tbitch <u>married men</u>! Who cares about\n\t\tmarriage, the bed just gets crowded\n\t\tand noisy?!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou're exhausted. Let me get you a\n\t\tbrandy.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhere's the john? Let me clean up\n\t\tthis mess, and get back to work.\n\n\tHelen has stepped to her brandy decanter; M.J., too dejected\n\tto move, sits, staring now at the only thing to stare at: the\n\tcomputer screen.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (O.S.)\n</b>\t\tWho's the married man?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat does it matter? This guy, you\n\t\tchecked your course records, who\n\t\tsigned up?\n\n\tHelen returns with the brandy. M.J. holds it, doesn't drink,\n\tjust stares at the computer screen, emotionally dead...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe University computer is down for\n\t\tmaintenance, but I've been going\n\t\tthrough my own notes...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(her voice is dead)\n\t\tLook. There's the order: you\n\t\twrote it: DeSalvo, Bianchi &\n\t\tBuono, Berkowitz and Dahmer. It's\n\t\tgoing to be Dahmer next. Which\n\t\tmeans he'll kill a man.\n\n\tWith an effort of will M.J. moves to the phone, putting the\n\tbrandy down.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. Dahmer! And after that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(dialing)\n\t\tBundy. That's the last one in your\n\t\tspeech...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMaybe you should...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'm working on it! It's what I do.\n\t\t\t(into phone)\n\t\tQuinn...Halloran. I'll wait.\n\t\t\t(to Helen)\n\t\tWhere's Andy, can we get some\n\t\tcoffee in here?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(she's going through\n\t\t\t records)\n\t\tOut. Where does he go? Nowhere.\n\t\tWhat does he do? Nothing.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. BAYSIDE RESTAURANT - BELVEDERE OR SAUSALITO - DAY\n</b>\n<b>\tA BRIGHT LOVELY DAY, PEOPLE DINING AND DRINKING IN THE SUN,\n</b>\ton a deck that faces the Bay and San Francisco's towers\n\tbeyond. Young people, drinks in hand, dressed to go to a\n\tsummer wedding, mingle and laugh and chatter. A young woman\n\tstands leaning back against the wooden rail, her back to the\n\tBaby. A young man faces her, talking, laughing. HE LEANS\n<b>\tCLOSE TO WHISPER IN HER EAR AND SHE LEANS BACK, DRAWING HIM\n</b><b>\tCLOSER TO HER -- SEXY! AS HE WHISPERS HE CAN SEE OVER HER\n</b><b>\tSHOULDER INTO THE WATER BELOW.\n</b>\n\tREVERSE, CLOSE: YOUNG MAN -- His face registering horror at\n\twhat he sees: he stops speaking, and the GIRL turns to look\n\tdown to see what is it he's looking at, and begins to\n<b>\tSCREAM...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV.\n</b>\n\tBelow, floating in the water is ANDY, wearing his bright\n\tjacket, except it's not all of Andy. HIS HEAD IS MISSING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: (TIME HAS PASSED). FROM WHAT WOULD BE ANDY'S POV\n</b><b>\t-- FACES LOOKING DOWN. M.J., QUINN, SAKS AND CORONER'S\n</b><b>\tMEN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEIR POV. NOW RUBBER BOATS HAVE BEEN TIED IN A RING\n</b><b>\tAROUND THE BODY. DOC IS DOING HIS WORK, PREPARATORY TO\n</b><b>\tLIFTING THE BODY OUT OF THE WATER...\n</b>\n<b>\tHE PULLS A WALLET OUT OF THE POCKET AND HOLDS IT UP TO THE\n</b><b>\tPEOPLE ABOVE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. TAKES IT. BEGINS TO LOOK THROUGH IT. SHE IS NUMB WITH\n</b><b>\tEXHAUSTION AND SORROW.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - DAY\n</b>\n\tHer teeth chattering, HELEN tries to talk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI am not going to talk about it.\n\t\tHow do you <u>know</u> it was Andy if the\n\t\thead was gone? Where is the head?\n\t\tAre you looking for it? Oh, God,\n\t\twhy him? Because of me. I can't\n\t\ttalk about it. I write about\n\t\tthings like this, stuff it all in\n\t\tbooks and bury it in libraries.\n\t\tThis is the first person close to\n\t\tme who's ever died. And it's\n\t\tbecause of me. This monster killed\n\t\thim because I loved him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI've got to go. I've <u>got</u> to go.\n\n\tM.J. hands HELEN her bottle of Xanax.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHow many do you need to sleep.\n\t\tReally sheep?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tW-We had a fight. I called him...\n\t\tcalled him a name...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tChrist, Helen. The first time,\n\t\twe're ahead of the son of a bitch!\n\t\tI can't leave you like this -- and\n\t\tthere's no time. Knock yourself\n\t\tout.\n\n\tOffers the Xanax again. Helen looks at the bottle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tRight. Well. He's going to do\n\t\tBundy. Bundy faked injuries, wore\n\t\ta plaster cast, or walked on\n\t\tcrutches, and asked college girls\n\t\tfor help -- carrying his books,\n\t\tpushing his car...\n\n\tM.J. starts for the door... Helen has turned to her\n\tcomputer and types... meanwhile we are HEARING.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tLike the others -- he'll pick the\n\t\tmost extravagant murder -- Bundy's\n\t\tthree murders in one night at a...\n\n\tAnd we SEE Helen's message on the computer screen...\n\n<b>\tPETER KURTEN, PLEASE CONTACT INTERNET [email protected].\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE - DAY\n</b>\n\tM.J. IS MOVING FROM DESK TO DESK... ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS, in\n\tcontinuous segue from above...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t...Chi Omega sorority house. Find\n\t\tout how many Chi Omegas there are\n\t\ton college campuses this area.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE\n</b>\t\tHow far out?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHundred mile radius.\n\n\tTo the next...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tWhat are the FBI doing?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tDETECTIVE 2\n</b>\t\tThey were combing Fertility\n\t\tclinics.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou want to get onto the DMV, we\n\t\twant records on all gold or yellow\n\t\tcolored VW bugs, any year. I want\n\t\tan in-person check on every\n\t\tregistered owner. If it's rental --\n\t\tcheck rental first -- get names and\n\t\tlocation of who is driving one now.\n\n\tNext station. QUINN has appeared and is listening.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tAlert Campus Security on college\n\t\tcampuses, all of them. They should\n\t\twarn all female students with long\n\t\tstraight dark hair parted exactly\n\t\tin the middle -- I'm serious! -- to\n\t\tavoid any strange male contacts and\n\t\treport any man with an apparent\n\t\thandicap who tries to get them to\n\t\tcarry groceries or books, or push\n\t\this car...\n\n\tSAKS has appeared and stands by Quinn: they both stare at\n\ther and she becomes more and more self conscious and aware\n\tof how impossible this is...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(to them)\n\t\tThat was Bundy. He killed forty of\n\t\tthem, identical, long hair, parted\n\t\tin the middle, alike as Barbie\n\t\tdolls.\n\t\t\t(breaks off)\n\t\t...this is hopeless. Let's try to\n\t\tget time for a police spokesman to\n\t\tappear on college radio and TV\n\t\thookups and broadcast a warning?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\t\"Spokes<u>person</u>.\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tWhat about auto body and paint\n\t\tshops; any recent VW bug repainted\n\t\tto gold or yellow?\n\n\tM.J. is mildly surprised at help from this source.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou or us gonna do it?\n\n<b>\tQUINN AND SAKS TURN TO EACH OTHER: TURF WAR.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tFERTILITY CLINIC - DAY\n</b>\n\tNITROGEN FOG swirls as a Stainless steel tubule is lifted\n\tout its bath of liquid nitrogen, with a long pair of tongs.\n\tCAMERA FOLLOWS TO REVEAL PETER FOLEY, in white lab coat.\n\tThrough a glass partition, he SEES two unmistakable FBI men\n\tenter and begin talking to the receptionist in an outside\n\toffice. HE CONTINUES ABOUT HIS WORK. CAMERA STAYS ON THE\n<b>\tFBI MEN AND RECEPTIONIST. CUT BACK TO WHERE PETER WAS\n</b><b>\tWORKING. THERE IS ONLY A PAIR OF RUBBER GLOVES AND LAB COAT\n</b><b>\tLYING ON THE WORK SPACE. A BACK DOOR IS CLOSING...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S BEDROOM \n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN'S BED IS EMPTY, COVERS THROWN BACK. A GLORIOUS\n</b><b>\tMORNING. THE TV'S LEAP INTO LIFE. WE HEAR OVER: HORRIBLY\n</b><b>\tCHEERFUL VOICE:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTV (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tWelcome to weekend gridlock on the\n\t\tFreeways! Everybody heading for\n\t\tthe mountains and or the sea,\n\t\t\t(sings)\n\t\t\"by the sea, by the sea, by the\n\t\tbeautiful sea,\" and my-oh-my what a\n\t\tmess! On 101 south of Burlington,\n\t\twe have a big rig over the side,\n\t\tblocking the on-ramp...\"\n\t\t\t(etc., blah, blah)\n\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - CURTAINS DRAWN - STILL NIGHT HERE...\n</b>\n\tHelen at her computer... which says\n\n<b>\tBACK ON LINE -- SORRY FOR THE DELAY.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHESE ARE CONFIDENTIAL UNIVERSITY RECORDS\n</b><b>\tREQUIRING APPROVED AUTHORIZATION\n</b><b>\tPLEASE TYPE YOUR PASSWORD:\n</b>\n\tHelen types -- 'xxxx xxxx' appears on screen. Then a\n\tmessage:\n\n<b>\tDOCTOR HELEN HUDSON, YOUR ACCESS LEVEL IS THERE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tAny student name registered in\n\t\tCrime-Psych 137 matched to titles\n\t\tof term papers with any mention of\n\t\t'Peter Kurten.'\n\n\tWhat she types on SCREEN is the text for a Boolean search\n\tfor such items (research needed). She waits for a second.\n\n<b>\tSEARCH COMPLETED\tSTUDENT NAMES:\t342\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tCRIME-PSYCH 137\t 11\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tTERM PAPERS\t\t736\n</b><b>\t\t\t\tPETER KURTEN\t\t 1\n</b>\n<b>\tMATCHING ALL CRITERIA: PETER FOLEY\n</b>\n<b>\t'PETER FOLEY, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, 1991 TERM PAPER,\n</b><b>\t'PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF SERIAL KILLER PETER KURTEN AS A SYMPTOM\n</b><b>\tOF SOCIAL UPHEAVAL AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN GERMANY CIRCA\n</b><b>\t1936,' UNPUBLISHED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tPeter Foley. Good God. You poor\n\t\tsad little bore. I failed you, is\n\t\tthis what...?\n\n\tSOUND: HER FRONT DOOR OPENS. She starts, turns. Feet\n\tmoving toward her, but quietly, cautiously. As the\n\tfootsteps turn into the hall. She stands, reaching for\n\tanything to defend herself with: a paperknife. She moves to\n\tthe door, raising the knife... footsteps closer... A man\n\tturns into the office, and she launches herself, only\n\tstopping the stab of the knife at the last split second...\n\n\tANDY. She SCREAMS!\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tStop screaming!\n\n\tShe screams again. Then smothers him with kisses and\n\thugs...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake, stop -- my head! I\n\t\thave the Iraqi mother of all hang-\n\t\tovers. <u>Very</u> quiet in the hospital\n\t\tzone, please.\n\n\tShe clings to him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere have you <u>been</u>? What happened\n\t\tto your wallet?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\tHal has it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSAKS is sitting on edge of a desk. M.J. is standing, and\n\tQUINN is sitting almost knee-to-knee with ANDY.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t...then he gave me a popper and I\n\t\tstarted to feel really wild... all\n\t\tover the dance floor. Then\n\t\tsuddenly I was just s o stoned. And\n\t\tsick? I had to <u>race</u> for the\n\t\tjohn... horribly sick. Over and\n\t\tover and over. I was in there a\n\t\tvery long time. And when I came\n\t\tout they were gone. So was my\n\t\tjacket which I'd tossed to Hal when\n\t\tI was dancing. Hal was my...\n\t\tCould I have a glass of water?\n\n\tAn FBI man intrudes... with a printout of a driver's\n\tlicense. He shows to Andy...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFBI\n</b>\t\tMister Saks. We gotta Peter Foley,\n\t\tmedical technician in a fertility\n\t\tclinic in Oakland. We got a home\n\t\taddress in Daly City.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tANDY\n</b>\t\t\t(looking at license)\n\t\tThat's him.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGot him!\n\n<b>\tTHE FBI AND THE COPS ALL RISE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI called our SWAT Commander...\n\t\t\t(to Saks)\n\t\tHe's ours now... You come watch\n\t\tour boys in action...\n\n\tAnd walks away...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\t\t(under his breath)\n\t\tWell, thank you, too.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. OLD FRAME HOUSE, DALY CITY - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM SURROUNDING THE HOUSE, WITH GREAT QUIET AND EFFORT\n</b>\tTO CONCEAL THE OPERATION. QUINN in command over a SWAT\n\tCOMMANDER -- JENSEN. There are ambulances, a fire truck,\n\tsearch lights. SWAT TEAM, AND FBI all wear bulky flack\n\tjackets, with yellow ID stencilled on the back. Quinn sees\n\tM.J., huddled in her old oversize jacket, gestures M.J.\n\tshould have a flack jacket like theirs. She taps her chest,\n\twhere she has a bullet-proof vest under her shirt.\n\n<b>\tTHE HOUSE: VARIOUS SHOTS, SILHOUETTED FIGURES MOVING TO\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINTS FOR THE ASSAULT.\n</b>\n<b>\tON A VIEW INCLUDING A CELLAR WINDOW: LIGHT INSIDE. AS\n</b><b>\tCROUCHED SWAT MAN RUNS BY WE SEE: PETER INSIDE, PASSING BY,\n</b><b>\tGLANCE OUT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HESITATES, LOOKING OUT. HE FLICKS OFF LIGHTS. MOVES\n</b><b>\tPURPOSEFULLY OUT OF FRAME... WE HEAR A MOAN (O.S.).\n</b>\n<b>\tA HAND GASPS THE HANDLE OF WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GUN; AS IT IS\n</b><b>\tBROUGHT UP INTO A WIDER VIEW IT HAS A LONG BARREL WHICH\n</b><b>\tSUDDENLY SHOOTS FLAME: A PROPANE BARBECUE LIGHTER...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ARE ALMOST READY FOR THE FIRST MOVE; THREE SWAT MEN BY\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR. ANOTHER TWO PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD AND\n</b><b>\tANNOUNCE THEMSELVES.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT COMM\n</b>\t\t\t(on bullhorn)\n\t\tPeter Foley, we are the police.\n\t\tWill you please come to your front\n\t\tdoor, and come out with your hands\n\t\tabove your head...(etc.)\n\n<b>\tINSIDE A SMOKE ALARM BEGINS TO GO. LIGHT FLICKERS IN CELLAR\n</b><b>\tWINDOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT MEN AT THE DOOR: THEY SMASH THE LOCK AND CHARGE IN. M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND OTHER DETECTIVES WITH THEM.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HOUSE\n</b>\n\tA dozen men pour into the house from front and back,\n\tconverging in the dimly lit living room. SMOKE OBSCURES\n\tEVERYTHING. The dining room and kitchen are empty. M.J.\n<b>\tFOLLOWS CONTINGENT THAT RACES UPSTAIRS. OTHERS FAN OUT\n</b><b>\tTHROUGH THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. FIREMEN COME BEHIND LOOKING\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. PETER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tSMOKE IS THINNER HERE. The room lighted only by the\n\tglowing TV screen. The WIFE still in bed, shot through the\n\thead. Others crowd in, kicking in closet and bathroom\n\tdoors. M.J. IS BY THE BED JUST TURNING TO START ABACK\n<b>\tDOWNSTAIRS LOOKING FOR PETER.\n</b>\n\tSWAT MAN emerges from the bathroom with the body of NASTY\n\tLITTLE DOG, holding it by the tail:\n\n<b>\tTHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S WARNING SIRES SHRIEK: THEY MEAN\n</b><b>\tEVERYBODY OUT... FIREMEN CHARGE FOR EXITS...\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THEY CHARGE THROUGH DOWNSTAIRS...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. CAN SEE TWO FIREMEN AT THE BASEMENT DOOR. SMOKE BILLOWS\n</b><b>\tFROM UNDER IT. BEHIND IT WE HEAR SCREAMING. THE FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tSMASH THE DOOR, DROPPING TO THE FLOOR AS THEY DO...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J'S POV: BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS OUT ACROSS THE CEILING\n</b><b>\tTHEN EXPLODES INTO WHITE HOT FLAME. SHE HAS STEPPED FORWARD\n</b><b>\tSO SHE CAN SEE OVER THE FIREMEN DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT: IN\n</b><b>\tTHE SUDDEN FLARE SHE SEES A MAN, WITH TIN-RIMMED GLASSES AND\n</b><b>\tBLACK LEATHER CLOTHING ENTIRELY ENGULFED IN FLAME RUNNING UP\n</b><b>\tTHE BASEMENT STAIRS; BEHIND HIM THE BASEMENT IS BURNING.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. BASEMENT\n</b>\n<b>\tLOW ANGLE LOOKING UP STAIRS: FLAME ALL AROUND -- PETER'S \n</b><b>\tPHOTO COLLAGES ON THE BULLETIN BOARD BURNING. THE MAN \n</b><b>\tRUNNING UP THE STAIRS ALMOST MAKES IT TO THE TOP BEFORE\n</b><b>\tHE FALLS BACK DOWN INTO THE CAMERA. AT THE TOP, WE SEE M.J.\n</b><b>\tAND THE FIREMEN'S APPALLED FACES. THE SCREAMING DIES OFF...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HOUSE\n</b>\n<b>\tFLAME NOW ENGULFING THE BASEMENT AND GROUND FLOOR: FIREMEN\n</b><b>\tAND M.J. RACING OUT COUGHING AND CHOKING.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEN: A HUGE HOT FLOOM OF AN EXPLOSION: FLAMES THREATEN TO\n</b><b>\tCONSUME THE ENTIRE HOUSE. FIREMEN SWARM BACK TO KNOCK DOWN\n</b><b>\tFLAME FROM OUTSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J., QUINN, ETC., WATCHING THE EVIDENCE GO UP IN SMOKE.\n</b><b>\tTHEIR FACES LIGHTED BY THE FLAME.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S OFFICE - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tShe has now changed into a pair of sweat pants and a\n\tT-shirt. SUSAN SCHIFFER IS ON TV: WITH SHOTS OF THE FIRE\n<b>\tBEING SNUFFED OUT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tI am here with Lieutenant Quinn of\n\t\tthe Homicide Division and (title)\n\t\tSaks of the FBI. Can you tell us\n\t\twhat happened here, tonight?\n\n\tDuring the following we move to PETER'S HOUSE where Quinn\n\tand Saks are being interviewed.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tSusan, the San Francisco Police\n\t\tDepartment, assisted by the FBI,\n\t\tdeveloped evidence that the serial\n\t\tkiller, referred to as the Copycat\n\t\tkiller was an individual who\n\t\tresided at this address. Upon\n\t\tbeing asked to step out of the\n\t\thouse to be interviewed, the\n\t\tsuspect set fire to the house\n\t\tpossibly to destroy evidence of his\n\t\twife's murder. We found her dead\n\t\tof gunshot wounds in an upstairs\n\t\tbedroom. He himself died in the\n\t\tfire.\n\t\t\t(to shouted\n\t\t\t questions)\n\t\tNo, we'll wait until we've located\n\t\tany relatives who should be\n\t\tnotified. Witnesses saw the\n\t\tindividual burn to death, they were\n\t\tunable to reach him in time to save\n\t\thim. We're glad, as the entire\n\t\tcity must be glad, this reign of\n\t\tterror is ended. No, no more at\n\t\tthis time. Thank you...\n\n<b>\tEND OF HELEN STARING STONILY AT THE SCREEN: SHE DOESN'T\n</b><b>\tBELIEVE IT FOR A MOMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J., wearily enters. Others quietly entering, slipping out\n\tcoats, talking and drinking at some distance. M.J. takes\n\toff her shoulder holster and gun and puts them down on her\n\tworkspace. NIKKO is at little distance cleaning out his\n\tdesk. He comes down to her as she sits...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tI heard. Good police work.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJust horseshit luck.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tDon't ever forget how good you are.\n\n\tHe is standing behind her and leans over to almost touch her\n\thair with his lips...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNIKKO\n</b>\t\tI love you.\n\n\tHe goes. M.J. twists in misery and fury... Her phone is\n\tringing on another line; she punches it...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tNJ\n</b>\t\tHalloran.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI don't believe it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen.\n\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tI saw him die. I saw him burning on\n\t\tthe basement stairs, he never\n\t\treached the top.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThey never kill themselves. How do\n\t\tyou know it was him. You never met\n\t\thim. You never even saw a\n\t\tphotograph...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tHelen -- let go. You've got to let\n\t\tgo.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe hasn't done Bundy. He's done\n\t\tevery one of the others, hasn't he?\n\t\tIf there are three dead Chi Omega\n\t\tcollege girls tomorrow, how will\n\t\tyou feel? Go there. See if there\n\t\tcould be any way for him to escape.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tThis has been the worst 48 hours of\n\t\tmy life. I'm going home. I'm going\n\t\tto try to get drunk.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf there's a one percent possibil-\n\t\tity, can you live with yourself\n\t\twhen he kills again?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tOh, shut up, and don't be so damn\n\t\tself righteous.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tM.J. is now almost dead with fatigue. She barely misses\n\thitting another car. She drives on until she is forced to\n\tstop at a traffic light. All during this:\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t...You're on the air, who's\n\t\tthis...<i>Ron, that's not my right\n\t\tname</i>... that's okay, Ron. What are\n\t\tyou afraid of?... <i>I don't want\n\t\tanybody to know my name, because\n\t\tI'm a friend of Peter Foley? I \n\t\tknow him from the gay community? He\n\t\twas cruising the night...</i>\n\n\tM.J. switches stations, channel surfing... bits of music,\n\tRush Limbaugh, back to Ron droning on.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tRADIO NEWS\n</b>\t\t<i>...that I resent the tone of the\n\t\tPolice and their attitude? That\n\t\tthis is just some weird queer\n\t\tevent, just because they couldn't\n\t\tstop this guy until he did himself,\n\t\tif you even believe that...</i>\n\n\tM.J. turns off the radio... when light turns green,\n\tinstead of moving ahead, she just sits for a moment. Then,\n\tfurious with HELEN, with <u>everything</u>, she swears and wheels\n\tthe car into a tight illegal u-turn.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. NIGHT BERKELEY CAMPUS - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is extra time, which means party time or those who've\n\tfinished and solitary and group study time for the rest.\n\tAnd there are celebrants of the Festival of Love, who were\n\tbeing born about the time of the original event. TRACKING\n<b>\tSHOT TO ESTABLISH THIS SCENE, MOVING, SEARCHING ALONG THE\n</b><b>\tAVENUES, PASSING KNOTS OF STUDENTS AND PARTY-GOES... WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE SEEN A PEACEFUL CAMPUS, QUIETLY CELEBRATING. AND WE\n</b><b>\tHAVE DRAWN UP BEFORE CHI OMEGA. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PARK.\n</b><b>\tM.J., WHOSE POV THIS HAS BEEN LOOKS AT HER WATCH.\n</b><b>\tDECIDES: FUCK IT, THIS IS CRAZY AND IS ABOUT TO DRIVE AWAY,\n</b><b>\tSHIFTING INTO GEAR WHEN SHE SPOTS:\n</b>\n<b>\tPOV. A GOLD COLORED VW BUG\n</b>\n\tIt is parked under a tree some distance across a parking lot\n\tjammed with student cars. It is partly in shadow, so she\n\tcould easily have missed it. She jumps out of the car and\n\tmoves fast up the steps through students, drinking, kissing,\n\tstudying, arguing...\n\n<b>\tINT. CHI OMEGA - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tMAIN MEETING ROOM. Full of people milling about. Music is\n\tplaying. SEES THE BACK OF A TALL MAN ON CRUTCHES TALKING TO\n<b>\tA COED. HE HAS A LOAD OF BOOKS SHE TAKES FROM HIM; SHE IS\n</b>\tLAUGHING. M.J. moving fast toward them, she runs into a\n\tgirl, spilling the girls' drink on her blouse...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tGoddamn it! This is brand new!\n\t\tWhere're you going?\n\n\tAs M.J. continues to move the Girl grabs her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tNo, you don't spill all over\n\t\tsomebody and just walk away, you\n\t\tdamn well pay the cleaning bill...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tPolice business -- take your heads\n\t\toff.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tGIRL\n</b>\t\tBullshit!\n\n\tM.J. holds up the badge...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tDon't make me pull the gun...\n\n\tShe jerks away, almost knocking the Girl down. The Girl is\n\tyelling, beginning to attract attention. As M.J. turns back\n\tto SEE.\n\n\tPETER AND THE COED are just moving off, the Coed holding his\n\tbooks, he hobbling on the crutches. M.J. runs through the\n\tcrowd toward him, and those who notice are pissed... she is\n\tgetting close when, just as he and the coed would pass from\n\tsight behind a wall, PETER looks around, straight at M.J..\n\n<b>\tIT ISN'T PETER AT ALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. LOOKING AROUND, MOVES TO STAIRS TO SECOND FLOOR...\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. EMERGING FROM STAIRS INTO THE CORRIDOR -- SHE RUNS DOWN\n</b><b>\tTHIS CORRIDOR OF ROOMS, PUSHING OPEN ANY THAT ARE SHUT.\n</b>\n<b>\tA SCARED COUPLE MAKING LOVE CONFRONT HER GUN. SHE\n</b><b>\tREHOLSTERS IT AND RACES DOWN THE HALLWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\tOVER THE PARTY NOISE AND MUSIC WE HEAR A SCREAM. M.J. RACES\n</b><b>\tDOWN CORRIDORS, TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE. ANOTHER SCREAM.\n</b><b>\tIT SEEMS TO COME FROM BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR. M.J. KICKS IT\n</b><b>\tOPEN, BURSTING IN:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tA BUNCH OF STONED STUDENTS PASSING A JOINT: ON A TV PLAYER\n</b><b>\tIS THE IMAGE OF JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN AN EARLY SHOCKER: THEY\n</b><b>\tARE PLAYING AT WHO CAN OUT-SCREAM JAMIE LEE CURTIS.\n</b>\n<b>\tWHEN JAMIE LEE CURTIS SCREAMS --\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY ALL SCREAM BACK! AND BURST INTO HOWLS OF LAUGHTER. THE\n</b><b>\tSIGHT OF M.J. WITH HER GUN OUT ONLY MAKES THEM HOWL LOUDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSTUDENT\n</b>\t\tSwallow the joint! It's Barney\n\t\tPhyfe -- <u>in drag</u>!\n\n<b>\tTHEN ALTOGETHER THEY SCREAM AT HER! AND HOWL WITH LAUGHTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALL. \n</b>\n\tM.J. walks out of the room and down the corridor.\n\n<b>\tEXT. CHI OMEGA FRONT STEPS\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE LOOKS OUT ACROSS THE PARKING LOT: THE GOLD VW BUG IS \n</b><b>\tGONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WALKS TO HER CAR, RELIEVED. THE WHOLE THING SEEMS LIKE\n</b><b>\tA NIGHTMARE FROM WHICH SHE HAS NOW AWAKENED.\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. M.J'S CAR\n</b>\n<b>\tAS SHE OPENS THE DOOR, REACHES IN AND GRABS HER PHONE. SHE\n</b><b>\tACTIVATES PHONE, WHEN SHE IS BLINDSIDED BY PETER WHO SLAMS\n</b><b>\tHER INTO THE CAR, FACE DOWN ACROSS THE FRONT SEAT. HE \n</b><b>\tDISARMS HER, TWISTS HER INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE ARE STUDENTS AT SOME DISTANCE, BUT SHE CAN'T MAKE\n</b><b>\tHERSELF BE HEARD. SHE IS GROGGY FROM THE BLOW SHE'S TAKEN.\n</b><b>\tHE HANDCUFFS HER TO THE CAR, FIND HER KEYS, AND BEGINS TO\n</b><b>\tDRIVE AWAY... PETER'S HAIR IS NOW BRIGHT RED -- LIKE DARYLL\n</b><b>\tLEE CULLUM'S.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. HELEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen lies wide awake in the dark. PHONE RINGS.\n\n<b>\tINT. TASK FORCE ROOM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE RECORDER ATTACHED TO PHONE. IT STARTS TO TURN.\n</b><b>\tAT THE FAR END OF THE ROOM AN FBI DETECTIVE IS POURING HIMSELF\n</b><b>\tSOME COFFEE. HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HEAR WHAT WE HEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN (V.O.)\n</b>\t\t\t(thinking it's M.J.)\n\t\tWhere are you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER (V.O.)\n</b>\t\tHi. It's your worst student, Peter\n\t\tFoley -- how do you grade me now,\n\t\tDoctor?\n\n<b>\tHELEN ON PHONE\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWho was the man in the basement?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou like that action? Didn't that\n\t\tcop on TV look <u>solemn</u>? The guy in\n\t\tthe basement doesn't matter,\n\t\tanyway, just another lonely heart.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere are you, Peter?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t<u>You</u> thought I was going to do Ted\n\t\tBundy next, so you sent your\n\t\tpartner...\n\n\tHelen gasps with the implications of that...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhat was that? What am I hearing?\n\t\tThe sound of an epiphany, a sudden\n\t\tblinding insight?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's Daryll Lee Cullum, isn't it?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tMm-hmm. I can't get to you. You\n\t\thave to come to me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou know I can't do that.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, I think you will.\n\n\tPeter rips duct tape off M.J.'s mouth...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yelling)\n\t\tCall the police! Now! Call Qui...\n\n\tPeter punches M.J. who is handculled in her car; they are\n\tparked in front of the Lecture Hall.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tFor God's sake Peter, leave her out\n\t\tof it. You don't want her, you\n\t\twant me.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI need her; she's a cop. I have to\n\t\tkill a cop, and then...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYou've been perfect. Don't spoil\n\t\tthe symmetry -- you have to have a\n\t\tmale cop.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't care -- she's a cop. That's\n\t\tthe important thing. Cop-ness, not\n\t\tsex-ness. It won't be perfect, but\n\t\tit'll be good.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(yells)\n\t\tCall Quinn and Saks.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI'm tired. I want it to end\n\t\ttonight, don't you?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tYes. I do. I want it to end now.\n\t\tLet her go. I'll come -- just let\n\t\ther go. She's not important.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou know where.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhere it began -- McCluskey\n\t\tAuditorium.\n\n\tHe hangs up.\n\n<b>\tINSERT: TAPE MONITOR. WE HEAR HELEN HANGING UP. A SMALL\n</b><b>\tCOMPUTER CHIP VOICE IS HEARD. THE FBI MAN IS MEASURING\n</b><b>\tSUGAR INTO HIS COFFEE AT THE OTHER END OF THE ROOM. HE CAN'T\n</b><b>\tHEAR:\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tCOMPUTER VOICE\n</b>\t\tTime Zero-hundred and twenty -- two\n\t\tminutes and sixteen seconds June\n\t\ttwelve 1994 Helen Hudson 415 320\n\t\t1854 Court order Alpha Bravo\n<b>\t\t9765910...\n</b>\n<b>\tBATHROOM DRAWER\n</b>\n\tIt is pulled open: metallic sounds of bullets rolling on the\n\twooden drawer: her hand bats away the usual bathroom drawer\n\tgarbage and pull Ruben's gun out; HER TREMBLING FINGERS\n<b>\tRELOAD IT.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HELEN'S OUTSIDE HALL - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tHelen wearing loose coat, jeans and sneakers opens the door.\n\tFRED snaps out of a sound sleep.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIt's all over, Fred. They got the\n\t\tguy. You go home to your own bed\n\t\tnow.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tFRED\n</b>\t\tI got to have that from my\n\t\tsuperior. One guy fired off this\n\t\tjob already.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tCall in. Use my phone. They'll\n\t\ttell you -- it's all over.\n\n<b>\tFRED GOES. HELEN STEPS RESOLUTELY INTO THE HALL, FOR\n</b><b>\tREASSURANCE BRACES HERSELF WITH A HAND ON THE WALL.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE HALLWAY (HER POV). IT SEEMS MILES LONG. SOUND: HER\n</b><b>\tFRONT DOOR CLICKING SHUT -- THE SAME ESSENTIAL EVENT AS SO\n</b><b>\tLONG AGO WHEN RUBEN HAD TO SHOOT OFF THE DOOR LOCK...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN LOOKS BACK AT THE DOOR. BRIDGES BURNED. TURNS BACK.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND ON WALL: AS SHE MOVES A TENTATIVE STEP HER HAND\n</b><b>\tPRESSES HEAVILY, SLIDING ALONG THE WALL. THEN HER HAND\n</b><b>\tMOVES A LITTLE FASTER, AND FASTER.\n</b>\n<b>\tHER POV. THE HALL SEEMS MORE NORMAL. MOVING SHOT PICKS UP\n</b><b>\tSPEED...\n</b>\n<b>\tHER HAND NOW BRUSHES THE WALL WITH ONLY FINGERTIPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES WITH MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE: HER AGORAPHOBIA\n</b><b>\tIS GONE... HER HAND DROPS TO HER SIDE...\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. HER BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe door opens and Helen appears in it. She confronts the\n\tstreet and the night... One more threshold to cross...\n\n<b>\tSTREET: HER OLD SAAB IS PARKED. THE ANTENNA IS GONE, AND\n</b>\tIT'S COVERED WITH CITY GRIME. The night seems to roar; the\n\tlights blur and flare. A truck comes past too fast, \n\tstirring up dust and buffeting her with wind.\n\n\tHELEN steeling herself and running the few steps to her car.\n\n\tINT. CAR as she slides into the driver's seat, slamming the\n\tdoor and locking it. She drives off into the night.\n\n<b>\tEXT. MULUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tA broad view through shadowy trees shows it's lighted\n\tfacade. Parked in front of is M.J.'s car. SUDDENLY FROM\n<b>\tBEHIND THE TREES, SAKS STEPS OUT IN FRONT, BLOCKING THE WAY!\n</b>\n<b>\tREVERSE: HELEN'S CAR IS COMING UP THE STREET TOWARDS US.\n</b><b>\tSAKS (AND NOW WE SEE OTHER SWAT TYPES IN THE SHADOWS, HIDDEN\n</b><b>\tFROM THE VIEW OF THE AUDITORIUM) STANDS IN THE STREET\n</b><b>\tFLAGGING HER DOWN --\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE STOPS, PUTTING DOWN WINDOW. SAKS RESTS HIS HAND ON THE\n</b>\tDOOR... He shoves no sign of recognizing her...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tMa'am, please get out of your\n\t\tvehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tMerry, how... oh, Christ, of\n\t\tcourse, you had my phone tapped.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tJust get out of your vehicle...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe's got Sergeant Halloran in\n\t\tthere. He'll kill her the minute\n\t\the sees or hears your people...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tYou've been very useful, Doctor, we\n\t\tappreciate all you've done, and now\n\t\tthe professional will take over...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tHe wants me, he doesn't care about\n\t\ther. Let me...\n\n<b>\tSAKS HAS THE DOOR OPEN AND IS REACHING TO PULL HER FROM THE\n</b><b>\tDRIVER'S SEAT... HELEN SUCKS IN HER BREATH AND JAMS ON THE\n</b><b>\tGAS. SAKS IS ALMOST DRAGGED AWAY WITH HER, SPUN AROUND AND\n</b><b>\tFALLING ON THE PAVEMENT. SHE SLAMS THE DOOR AS SHE SPEEDS\n</b><b>\tTOWARD THE AUDITORIUM...\n</b>\n<b>\tSAKS, CURSING, LEAPS TO HIS FEET; A SWAT TYPE AIMS HIS GUN\n</b><b>\tAFTER HELEN, BUT SAKS PUTS HIS HAND ON THE WEAPON STOPPING\n</b><b>\tHIM FROM SHOOTING.\n</b>\n\tNEW ANGLE: Helen's Saab speeds out of the tree shadowed\n\tstreet into the bright plaza in front of the auditorium, and\n\tbrakes behind M.J.'s car.\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN. Sudden silence when she kills the car engine.\n\tShe gets out of the car. As she walks even her sneakers\n\tmake an echo from the silent stone facade... She walks up\n\tthe wide stairs...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tThe huge doors creak open and Helen enters. She stands,\n\tlistening: light streams in from the exterior through tall\n\twindows, otherwise it's all back shadows, weird enough\n\twithout the distorted vision, the vertigo that momentarily\n\treturns...\n\n\tHelen wills herself to move into the deep space before her.\n\tShe stands listening: we HEAR the creaks and tiny snaps of a\n\tbuilding cooling in the night air. Or is the movement of\n\tPeter somewhere in the room?\n\n\tShe whirls to face a distance sound that echoes in the\n\tauditorium...\n\n\tCLOSE: HELEN staring, trying to SEE. NOTHING.\n\n<b>\tTHEN:\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS STARING BACK. HIS FACE BECOMES DARYLL LEE. THE\n</b><b>\tVISION SNAPS.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN: SHE TURNS AND WALKS PAST THE ROSTRUM OF THE STAGE TO\n</b><b>\tA DOOR UPSTAGE LEFT... OPENING INTO A LONG AND DARK\n</b><b>\tCORRIDOR. SHE GROPES FOR LIGHT SWITCHES, CAN'T FIND OUT ANY.\n</b><b>\tTHE CORRIDOR LEADS TO THE LADIES' ROOM ON THE RIGHT. AS SHE\n</b><b>\tWALKS DOWN THE HALLWAY, IT BEGINS TO RESEMBLE TO HER THE\n</b><b>\tSAME WALK SHE TOOK AT THE BEGINNING: AND SUDDENLY AT THE\n</b><b>\tDOOR TO THE LADIES' ROOM SHE SEEMS TO SEE THE FAT COP. SHE\n</b><b>\tSHAKES HER HEAD AND THE VISION IS GONE.\n</b>\n<b>\tREPLACED BY INT. LADIES' ROOM. THE COP IS NOW HELD FROM\n</b><b>\tBEHIND BY DARYLL LEE - SMILING AT HELEN. IN REVERSE, WE SEE\n</b><b>\tFOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HELEN HAS THE ROPE WELL AWAY FROM\n</b><b>\tHER NECK. WE REALIZE SHE HAS AMPLE TIME TO WARN THE COP,\n</b><b>\tBUT SHE IS PARALYZED, FASCINATED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN\n</b><b>\tTERRIBLE <I>SLOW MOTION</I> INTERCUTS BETWEEN DARYLL LEE GRINNING\n</b><b>\tAT HER, HELEN'S HELPLESS HORROR, THE COP'S APPEALING LOOK TO\n</b><b>\tHER AND BACK TO DARYLL LEE AS (BELOW THE FRAME) HE SLITS THE\n</b><b>\tCOP'S THROAT AND LETS HIM FALL TO THE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN (FLASHBACK) AT LAST BEGINS TO SCREAM!\n</b>\n<b>\tCLOSE: HELEN (PRESENT) RECOVERING. (SHE HASN'T SCREAMED AT\n</b><b>\tALL.) SHE PULLS RUBEN'S GUN FROM HER POCKET AND SHOVES OPEN\n</b><b>\tTHE DOOR INTO THE LADIES' ROOM.\n</b>\n<b>\tAS THE DOOR OPENS. THE LIGHTS ARE ON: IT IS BRILLIANT,\n</b><b>\tBLINDING IN HERE. SHE STEPS IN. THERE IS A SOUND THAT\n</b><b>\tDRAWS HER ROUND, HER GUN COMING UP: BACK OF THE DOOR IS THE\n</b><b>\tBROOM CLOSET... SHE FIRES TWO ROUNDS INTO THE CLOSET DOOR.\n</b><b>\tIT SPRINGS OPEN AND MOPS AND PAILS FALL THUNDEROUSLY OUT\n</b><b>\tONTO THE TILE FLOOR.\n</b>\n<b>\tSHE WHIRLS TO COVER HER BACK; FACES THE STALLS.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. SAKS' ROADBLOCK - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tTHEY REACT TO ECHOES OF THE GUNFIRE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tSWAT\n</b>\t\tOh, man?! Let us in there.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSAKS\n</b>\t\tGo. Go. Go!\n\n\tMen begin moving cautiously out of the trees and shadows\n\ttoward the Auditorium...\n\n<b>\tINT. LADIES' ROOM\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN MOVES ALONG THE STALLS PUSHING DOORS OPEN. UNTIL SHE\n</b><b>\tSHOVES ONE OPEN AND SEES:\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. IS HANGING BY A NOOSE, DANGLING THE SAME WAY HELEN DID\n</b><b>\tIN THE OPENING SEQUENCE. SHE IS ALIVE, HOLDING THE NOOSE\n</b><b>\tFROM HER NECK BY ONE HAND...\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN STARTS TO RUSH TO HER ASSISTANCE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO\n</b><b>\tOUT. PETER TAKES HER FROM BEHIND, SWIFTLY DISARMING HER,\n</b><b>\tREGARDING THE GUN WITH AMAZEMENT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou cheated! You said you'd come\n\t\tdie with me.\n\n<b>\tWITHOUT PAUSE HE PUMPS TWO BULLETS INTO M.J. WHERE SHE\n</b><b>\tHANGS. HER BODY JUMPS FROM THE IMPACT OF THE BULLETS, HER\n</b><b>\tHEAD FLIES BACK AND SHE SLUMPS, THE NOOSE TIGHTENS; THE DOOR\n</b><b>\tOF THE STALL SWINGS SLOWLY SHUT, AS PETER TURNS ON HELEN,\n</b><b>\tWHERE SHE LIES ON THE FLOOR, HORROR-STRUCK.\n</b>\n<b>\tEXT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tWITH EFFICIENCY AND CAUTION FBI SWAT TYPES MOVE TOWARD THE\n</b><b>\tAUDITORIUM. A GRAPPLING HOOK IS THROWN HIGH OVER THE ROOF;\n</b><b>\tTHEY PREPARE FOR AN ASSAULT. A HELICOPTER SWOOPS IN, BATHING\n</b><b>\tTHE SCENE IN ITS BRILLIANT LIGHT...\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM STAGE - NIGHT\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER HAS HELEN ON THE STAGE WHERE CHAIRS ARE RANDOMLY\n</b><b>\tSCATTERED AND PUSHED HER TO A SEAT FACING HIM, ALMOST KNEE\n</b><b>\tTO KNEE... HELEN WILL USE HER PSYCHOLOGICAL WILES TO TRY TO\n</b><b>\tTAKE AWAY PETER'S CONTROL OF THE SITUATION... PETER LOOKS UP\n</b><b>\tAT THE SOUND... HE IS PROUD AND THRILLED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tListen to them! We'll be on all\n\t\tthree channels.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tKill me, Peter, do it, now.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tNo. Not yet.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. If that's what all this\n\t\tcarnage is about, then do it. Have\n\t\tenough guts to do it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tDon't talk to me about courage. I\n\t\tknow death, what it's like to kill.\n\t\tYou're not a killer -- you watched\n\t\tDaryll Lee kill that cop and you\n\t\tdidn't make a peep, because you\n\t\twere paralyzed with fear. You\n\t\tchocked. I know something <u>else</u> about\n\t\tyou.\n\n\tPeter is jerking about with amphetamine energy; he pops a\n\tpill into his mouth and swallows...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tYou want one? No? There was\n\t\tsomething in you that was\n\t\tfascinated, that wanted to see what\n\tit was like for a man to die.\n\t\tEverybody feels it. Like every\n\t\tperson who slows to see a bad\n\t\taccident, or runs to see a fire.\n\t\tThat's true. I see it in you...\n\t\tyou're the same as me.\n\n<b>\tTHERE IS NOISE OUTSIDE... LIKE SOMEONE BREAKING IN.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, no.\n\n<b>\tHE GRABS HER, AND SHE MOVES WITH HIM, WITHOUT RESISTANCE, AS\n</b><b>\tHE TURNS OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE.\n</b>\n<b>\tFLOODLIGHTS SUDDENLY ILLUMINATE THE FACADE OUTSIDE,\n</b><b>\tINCREASING THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIGHT STREAMING IN AND\n</b><b>\tDARKENING THE SHADOWS FURTHER. GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM.\n</b>\n\tHe leads her back to the stage... he pushes her into a chair\n\tfacing him... He looks into her face and smiles...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWe'll keep talking. Until they get\n\t\there. Then...\n\t\t\t(smiles)\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tI have no life anymore. I ruined\n\t\tyour life, make me pay for it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tWhy did you do that? Didn't you\n\t\thave any idea how hard it was for\n\t\tme, to get that far? I worshipped\n\t\tyou. You inspired me. I thought\n\t\tyou could understand me the way you\n\t\tunderstood the others. I knew that\n\t\tabout you -- the ones you admired\n\t\twere the great murderers; they\n\t\tfascinated you.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThat's not who I admire -- I admire\n\t\tpeople who are good at what they\n\t\tdo, great artists, writers,\n\t\tthinkers...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tI don't have the talent for any of\n\t\tthose things. All I have a talent\n\t\tfor is death. And I am one of a\n\t\tkind. What do you think of your\n\t\tstudent now? I have made you\n\t\tfamous, I am your creation and your\n\t\tmonument.\n\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM A SHADOWY FIGURE DARTS FROM HIDING SPOT TO A\n</b><b>\tVANTAGE POINT: WE CAN'T MAKE OUT THE FIGURE... HELEN SEES\n</b><b>\tBUT PETER DOES NOT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf you let me, I can make you more\n\t\tfamous than any of them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tOh, please. I know what's coming,\n\t\tnow. \"Let me help you...\"\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo anything you want to me. I give\n\t\tmyself to you. Only put the knife\n\t\tdown. Isn't this what you always\n\t\twanted? I know it's what we all\n\t\twant, to love and to loved. I\n\t\tcould love you. You could work\n\t\ttogether in some safe place, learn\n\t\tto really understand you, help you,\n\t\tgive you some peace of mind, some\n\t\thappiness...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\tBack in the driver's seat again,\n\t\tDoctor? That old dream -- study us\n\t\tto see what makes us sick. So you\n\t\tcan find a cure -- they'd name it\n\t\tafter you? Death is the only cure\n\t\tfor people like me.\n\n\tHe leans toward her with the knife. This might be the\n\tmoment. His gun lies on the floor beside him.\n\n<b>\tHER EYES HAVE FLICKED TO THE SHADOW BEHIND HIM; HE SEES IT\n</b><b>\tAND STOOPS TO PICK UP THE GUN AND FIRES INTO THE SHADOWS,\n</b><b>\tTWO OR THREE QUICK ROUNDS. HE TURNS BACK TO HELEN, DROPPING\n</b><b>\tTHE GUN TO REACH FOR THE KNIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN HEAD BUTTS HIM WITH ASTONISHING STRENGTH, KNOCKING HIM\n</b><b>\tBACKWARD. SHE STANDS... HE COMES UP WITH GUN... AND AIMS AT\n</b><b>\tHER...\n</b>\n<b>\tBEHIND HIM M.J. STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS HAVING NOW A CLEAN\n</b><b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n<b>\tHELEN DOESN'T GIVE A CLUE, JUST LOOKS INTO PETER'S EYES AS\n</b><b>\tM.J. AND PETER IN SLOW MOTION DETAILS AS SHE LINES UP HER\n</b><b>\tSHOT: SHE COULD KILL HIM OR GO FOR THE EXPOSED SHOULDER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tDo it. For God's sake, <u>now</u>...\n\n<b>\tM.J. FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER IS SPUN AWAY FROM HELEN BY THE IMPACT, STANDS THERE,\n</b><b>\tSHAKING WITH THE SHOCK OF THE HIT... HE STARES AT HER.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tPETER\n</b>\t\t\t(surprised, like a\n\t\t\t child)\n\t\tYou hurt me!\n\n<b>\tM.J. HOLDS HER GUN ON HIM, READY TO SHOOT AGAIN, BUT HE JUST\n</b><b>\tGOES DOWN ON ONE KNEE, HIS BODY VIOLENTLY SHUDDERING... AS:\n</b>\n<b>\tTHERE IS A HUGE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS AND THEN AN ENORMOUS\n</b><b>\tEXPLOSION THAT THROWS THEM TO THE GROUND.\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE BIG FRONT DOORS ARE BLASTED OPEN, AND THE FLAK VESTED\n</b><b>\tSWAT TEAM SWARMS THROUGH... SMOKE FROM THE CONCUSSION\n</b><b>\tGRENADE SWIRLS IN THE CHIAROSCURO OF FLOODLIGHTS AND\n</b><b>\tSHADOWS.\n</b>\n<b>\tOUT OF THE SMOKE COME SKI-MASKED SWAT MEN...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J. & HELEN\n</b>\t\tNo!!\n\n<b>\tPETER TURNS TO THE SWAT TEAM, OFFERING HIMSELF, AS THE WOMEN\n</b><b>\tSCREAM TO THE SWAT MEN'S WOUNDED AND HARMLESS...\n</b>\n<b>\tA PATTERN OF RED DOTS FROM LASER BEAM SIGHTS ON THE SWAT\n</b><b>\tTEAM RIFLES DAPPLE PETER'S HEAD AND TORSO.\n</b>\n<b>\tSWAT TEAM\n</b>\n<b>\tLIKE A FIRING SQUAD THE TEAM FIRES.\n</b>\n<b>\tPETER'S BODY FLIES THROUGH THE AIR FROM THE IMPACT AND\n</b><b>\tSLIDES SPRAWLING ACROSS THE STAGE TO A STOP.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - LATER\n</b>\n<b>\tM.J. SITS AS PARAMEDIC GENTLY PULL OFF HER SHIRT AND THE\n</b><b>\tBULLET PROOF VEST THAT SAVED HER LIFE.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tJesus that hurts. You think the\n\t\trib is busted?\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tPARAMEDIC\n</b>\t\tThat looks like just a bad bruise.\n\t\tI'll tape it up if you want to...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tI'll take some Tylenol and codeine,\n\t\tinstead, how about a lot of number\n\t\tsix?\n\n\tThe medic turns to his medicine bag. Cops swarm around\n\tthem. Helen sits down next to M.J. M.J. begins to put on\n\ther shirt, wincing at the movement. Helen helps her.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(it hurts)\n\t\tOh, God.\n\n<b>\tSAKS AND QUINN EMERGE THROUGH THE CHIAROSCURO OF SMOKE AND\n</b>\tLIGHT AND SHADOW. When M.J. sees him she takes out her gun\n\tand hands it to him. It is what he expects, but she\n\tmisunderstands -- she is offering it to him as her\n\tresignation from the cops. He takes it only as a part of\n\tofficer related shooting routine. SHE LOOKS INTO HIS FACE\n<b>\tAS HE SMELLS THE MUZZLE, KNOWS SHE FIRES IT, APPROVED.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tI'll take it, kid. You take two\n\t\tweeks paid leave. Don't waste a\n\t\tsecond thinking about that shitbag.\n\t\tThen come back. You're a cop, M.J.\n\n\tHe nods to Helen...\n\n\t\t\t\tQUINN (cont'd)\n\t\tGet the civilians outta here.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tShe's in no shape to give her\n\t\tstatement tonight...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tNo, she can come in tomorrow...\n\t\tgonna want to know a lot of\n\t\tthings...\n\n\tB.G. the cops have pulled PETER'S BODY BY THE FEET, LETTING\n\tHIM BUMPITY BUMPITY BUMPITY DOWN THE STEPS from the stage\n\tand lifted him onto a gurney. The body is wheeled past\n\tthem, as...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tThe only one who could tell you\n\t\twhat you really need to know is\n\t\tdead.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tQUINN\n</b>\t\tYeah, it's a thought...\n\n\tOf no importance to him, he turns away...\n\n<b>\tINT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIn the LOBBY area between the auditorium proper and the big\n\texterior doors (now the worse for wear from the concussion\n\tgrenades). Outside, through the glass we SEE a media circus\n\tunder the BRIGHT LIGHTS put up for the assault. M.J. and\n<b>\tHELEN SQUINT AGAINST THE LIGHT, AND TURN...\n</b>\n<b>\tTHE AUDITORIUM (POV).\n</b>\n\tThe cops and technicians are working away; at one side is a\n\tsmall door -- easy escape. They run toward it...\n\n<b>\tEXT. MCCLUSKEY AUDITORIUM - NIGHT\n</b>\n\tIt is dark where they step out into the night. Around the\n\tcorner of the building we see the light from the MEDIA\n<b>\tCIRCUS. THEN HELEN STEPS OFF DOWN INTO THE DARK CAMPUS.\n</b><b>\tM.J. LOOKS AT HER: REALIZING: HELEN IS NO LONGER AFRAID.\n</b><b>\tSHE CATCHES UP TO HER. HOLD ON THEIR BACKS AS THEY WALK\n</b><b>\tAWAY...\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\tYou could use a long hot bath, you\n\t\tknow that? You better get somebody\n\t\tto drive you home.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tWhy can't I drive home? I will.\n\t\tYou. Look at you. <u>You</u> need a ride\n\t\thome. And you don't even know it.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tM.J.\n</b>\t\t\t(beat)\n\t\tWell, thanks.\n\n\tThe two women continue down toward Helen's car, just outside\n\tthe circle of media. CAMERA RISES AND RISES TO A HIGH FULL\n<b>\tSHOT.\n</b>\n\tTHE MOUTH AND THE HAIRCUT spot them and race toward them.\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tSUSAN\n</b>\t\tHey! Halloran! What's the story\n\t\there?\n\n\tOn the two women getting in the car...\n\n<b>\t\t\t\tHELEN\n</b>\t\tIf she has to ask, she's never\n\t\tgonna know.\n\n<b>\tHIGH FULLSHOT OF THE CAMPUS AS THEY DRIVE AWAY INTO THE\n</b><b>\tNIGHT.\n</b>\n<b>\t\t\t\tTHE END\n</b></pre>\n<b>\n</b><b></b></pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>Copycat</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Frank Pierson\" title=\"Scripts by Frank Pierson\">Frank Pierson</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Ann Biderman\" title=\"Scripts by Ann Biderman\">Ann Biderman</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=Jay Presson Allen\" title=\"Scripts by Jay Presson Allen\">Jay Presson Allen</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Horror\" title=\"Horror Scripts\">Horror</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Mystery\" title=\"Mystery Scripts\">Mystery</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Copycat Script.html#comments\" title=\"Copycat comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "Who is revealed to have been helping Foley?", "tokens": [ "Who", "is", "revealed", "to", "have", "been", "helping", "Foley", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Daryll Lee Collum", "tokens": [ "Daryll", "Lee", "Collum" ] }, { "text": "Daryll Lee", "tokens": [ "Daryll", "Lee" ] } ]
{ "id": "73406ddf9465f3f6afe43db7c8610c77a4b99ff4", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/American-History-X.html", "file_size": 146099, "word_count": 25059, "start": "AMERICAN HISTORY X", "end": "Banner -- >", "summary": { "text": " High school student Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) receives an assignment from his history teacher Mr. Murray (Elliott Gould) to write a paper on \"any book which relates to the struggle for human rights.\" Knowing Murray is Jewish, Danny writes his paper on Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Murray attempts to get Danny expelled for doing this, but Principal Dr. Bob Sweeney (Avery Brooks) refuses, instead informing Danny that he will study history and current events under Sweeney, and that the class will be called \"American History X.\" Danny's first assignment is to prepare a paper on his brother Derek (Edward Norton), a former neo-Nazi leader.\nDerek and Danny's firefighter father Dennis Vinyard (William Russ) exposes his own racism in reaction to the news that Derek's English teacher, Dr. Sweeney, had assigned Richard Wright's novel Native Son. Sent on a call to fight a fire in a drug den, Dennis is murdered by black drug dealers. In a television interview conducted after Dennis' death, Derek erupts in a long racist tirade. Shortly thereafter, Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach) and Derek form a white supremacist gang called the D.O.C. (Disciples of Christ). As a skilled basketball player, Derek is reluctantly dragged into a 3-on-3 game against several members of the Crips in which the prize is control of the recreation center basketball courts. After winning with his friends, Derek leads a large gang of skinheads to attack a supermarket owned by a Korean. Derek's mother Doris (Beverly D'Angelo) invites Murray, whom she is dating, home for dinner, which turns into a full-blown argument between Derek and Murray, causing themselves to leave. That night as Danny hears people attempting to steal Dennis' truck, Derek shoots and kills one of the thieves and curb stomps another, before being arrested by the police and being sentenced to three years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.\nDerek is given a job in the prison laundry and assigned to be the partner of Lamont (Guy Torry), a black man who is serving six years for assault. The pair develop a rapport from their shared love of basketball. Derek joins the Aryan Brotherhood, but after about a year, he becomes disillusioned with it. After being attacked in the shower by the Aryan Brotherhood members, Derek recovers and is visited by Sweeney, whom he asks for help to be paroled. Sweeney informs him of Danny's involvement with neo-Nazis, and warns that he is on the same path as Derek. Derek further distances himself from the Aryan Brotherhood and spends the remainder of his time in prison alone, reading books that Sweeney sends him. Finally realizing the error of his ways, Derek leaves prison a changed man. He finds that Danny has a D.O.C. tattoo and tries to persuade Danny to leave the gang. They subsequently go to a neo-Nazi party, where Derek tells Cameron that he and Danny will no longer associate with the neo-Nazi movement. Derek tells Danny about his experience in prison, which seems to prompt a change in Danny.\nThe next morning, Danny finishes his paper and Derek gets ready for a meeting with his parole officer. Derek walks Danny to school before his meeting, and on their way they stop at a diner. Sweeney and a police officer tell Derek that his friend Seth Ryan (Ethan Suplee) and Cameron were attacked the previous night. At school, Danny is confronted by a young black student named Little Henry, who shoots and kills Danny. Derek arrives at the school and mourns for Danny. In a voice over, Danny reads the final lines of his paper for Dr. Sweeney, stating, \"Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it,\" and then quoting the final stanza of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address.", "tokens": [ "High", "school", "student", "Danny", "Vinyard", "(", "Edward", "Furlong", ")", "receives", "an", "assignment", "from", "his", "history", "teacher", "Mr.", "Murray", "(", "Elliott", "Gould", ")", "to", "write", "a", "paper", "on", "any", "book", "which", "relates", "to", "the", "struggle", "for", "human", "rights", ".", "Knowing", "Murray", "is", "Jewish", ",", "Danny", "writes", "his", "paper", "on", "Adolf", "Hitler", "s", "Mein", "Kampf", ".", "Murray", "attempts", "to", "get", "Danny", "expelled", "for", "doing", "this", ",", "but", "Principal", "Dr.", "Bob", "Sweeney", "(", "Avery", "Brooks", ")", "refuses", ",", "instead", "informing", "Danny", "that", "he", "will", "study", "history", "and", "current", "events", "under", "Sweeney", ",", "and", "that", "the", "class", "will", "be", "called", "American", "History", "X", ".", "Danny", "s", "first", "assignment", "is", "to", "prepare", "a", "paper", "on", "his", "brother", "Derek", "(", "Edward", "Norton", ")", ",", "a", "former", "neo-Nazi", "leader", ".", "Derek", "and", "Danny", "s", "firefighter", "father", "Dennis", "Vinyard", "(", "William", "Russ", ")", "exposes", "his", "own", "racism", "in", "reaction", "to", "the", "news", "that", "Derek", "s", "English", "teacher", ",", "Dr.", "Sweeney", ",", "had", "assigned", "Richard", "Wright", "s", "novel", "Native", "Son", ".", "Sent", "on", "a", "call", "to", "fight", "a", "fire", "in", "a", "drug", "den", ",", "Dennis", "is", "murdered", "by", "black", "drug", "dealers", ".", "In", "a", "television", "interview", "conducted", "after", "Dennis", "'", "death", ",", "Derek", "erupts", "in", "a", "long", "racist", "tirade", ".", "Shortly", "thereafter", ",", "Cameron", "Alexander", "(", "Stacy", "Keach", ")", "and", "Derek", "form", "a", "white", "supremacist", "gang", "called", "the", "D.O.C", ".", "(", "Disciples", "of", "Christ", ")", ".", "As", "a", "skilled", "basketball", "player", ",", "Derek", "is", "reluctantly", "dragged", "into", "a", "3-on-3", "game", "against", "several", "members", "of", "the", "Crips", "in", "which", "the", "prize", "is", "control", "of", "the", "recreation", "center", "basketball", "courts", ".", "After", "winning", "with", "his", "friends", ",", "Derek", "leads", "a", "large", "gang", "of", "skinheads", "to", "attack", "a", "supermarket", "owned", "by", "a", "Korean", ".", "Derek", "s", "mother", "Doris", "(", "Beverly", "D'Angelo", ")", "invites", "Murray", ",", "whom", "she", "is", "dating", ",", "home", "for", "dinner", ",", "which", "turns", "into", "a", "full-blown", "argument", "between", "Derek", "and", "Murray", ",", "causing", "themselves", "to", "leave", ".", "That", "night", "as", "Danny", "hears", "people", "attempting", "to", "steal", "Dennis", "'", "truck", ",", "Derek", "shoots", "and", "kills", "one", "of", "the", "thieves", "and", "curb", "stomps", "another", ",", "before", "being", "arrested", "by", "the", "police", "and", "being", "sentenced", "to", "three", "years", "in", "prison", "for", "voluntary", "manslaughter", ".", "Derek", "is", "given", "a", "job", "in", "the", "prison", "laundry", "and", "assigned", "to", "be", "the", "partner", "of", "Lamont", "(", "Guy", "Torry", ")", ",", "a", "black", "man", "who", "is", "serving", "six", "years", "for", "assault", ".", "The", "pair", "develop", "a", "rapport", "from", "their", "shared", "love", "of", "basketball", ".", "Derek", "joins", "the", "Aryan", "Brotherhood", ",", "but", "after", "about", "a", "year", ",", "he", "becomes", "disillusioned", "with", "it", ".", "After", "being", "attacked", "in", "the", "shower", "by", "the", "Aryan", "Brotherhood", "members", ",", "Derek", "recovers", "and", "is", "visited", "by", "Sweeney", ",", "whom", "he", "asks", "for", "help", "to", "be", "paroled", ".", "Sweeney", "informs", "him", "of", "Danny", "s", "involvement", "with", "neo-Nazis", ",", "and", "warns", "that", "he", "is", "on", "the", "same", "path", "as", "Derek", ".", "Derek", "further", "distances", "himself", "from", "the", "Aryan", "Brotherhood", "and", "spends", "the", "remainder", "of", "his", "time", "in", "prison", "alone", ",", "reading", "books", "that", "Sweeney", "sends", "him", ".", "Finally", "realizing", "the", "error", "of", "his", "ways", ",", "Derek", "leaves", "prison", "a", "changed", "man", ".", "He", "finds", "that", "Danny", "has", "a", "D.O.C", ".", "tattoo", "and", "tries", "to", "persuade", "Danny", "to", "leave", "the", "gang", ".", "They", "subsequently", "go", "to", "a", "neo-Nazi", "party", ",", "where", "Derek", "tells", "Cameron", "that", "he", "and", "Danny", "will", "no", "longer", "associate", "with", "the", "neo-Nazi", "movement", ".", "Derek", "tells", "Danny", "about", "his", "experience", "in", "prison", ",", "which", "seems", "to", "prompt", "a", "change", "in", "Danny", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "Danny", "finishes", "his", "paper", "and", "Derek", "gets", "ready", "for", "a", "meeting", "with", "his", "parole", "officer", ".", "Derek", "walks", "Danny", "to", "school", "before", "his", "meeting", ",", "and", "on", "their", "way", "they", "stop", "at", "a", "diner", ".", "Sweeney", "and", "a", "police", "officer", "tell", "Derek", "that", "his", "friend", "Seth", "Ryan", "(", "Ethan", "Suplee", ")", "and", "Cameron", "were", "attacked", "the", "previous", "night", ".", "At", "school", ",", "Danny", "is", "confronted", "by", "a", "young", "black", "student", "named", "Little", "Henry", ",", "who", "shoots", "and", "kills", "Danny", ".", "Derek", "arrives", "at", "the", "school", "and", "mourns", "for", "Danny", ".", "In", "a", "voice", "over", ",", "Danny", "reads", "the", "final", "lines", "of", "his", "paper", "for", "Dr.", "Sweeney", ",", "stating", ",", "Hate", "is", "baggage", ".", "Life", "s", "too", "short", "to", "be", "pissed", "off", "all", "the", "time", ".", "It", "s", "just", "not", "worth", "it", ",", "and", "then", "quoting", "the", "final", "stanza", "of", "Abraham", "Lincoln", "s", "first", "inaugural", "address", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_History_X", "title": "American History X" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>American History X Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"American History X script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"American History X script, American History X movie script, American History X film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=9 class=heading>Alphabetical\n<tr align=\"center\">\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/0\">#</a> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/A\">A</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/B\">B</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/C\">C</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/D\">D</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/E\">E</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/F\">F</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/G\">G</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/H\">H</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/I\">I</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/J\">J</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/K\">K</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/L\">L</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/M\">M</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/N\">N</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/O\">O</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/P\">P</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Q\">Q</a><tr align=\"center\"> \n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/R\">R</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/S\">S</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre>AMERICAN HISTORY X \nscreenplay by \nDavid McKenna \nFebruary 6, 1997 \n\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES \n</b>\nA young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room.\n\n<b>EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE\n</b>\nturns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an\nearlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES\n</b>\nThey snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS\neven louder.\n\n<b>EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT\n</b>\nA slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street\nlights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD\nBRONCO rests in the driveway.\n\n<b>EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM\n</b>\nTUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by\nslowly heads down the residential street, cruises past\nthe Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The\nmusic stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car.\n\nThey move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in\nhand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger\nhurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the\ncar, another man methodically waits.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES\n</b>\nThe sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for\nDanny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads\n3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side.\n\nA poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall.\nPre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes\nscattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner.\n\nThe off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's\nattention. He sits up and looks through the blinds.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - SAME\n</b>\nDanny SEES a man reach through the broken window and\nunlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am.\n\n<b>INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY\n</b>\nHis fearful expression says it all.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Holy shit.\n\nDanny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent\nbedroom down the hall. He barges through the door.\n\n<b>INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG\n</b>\nIt hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant,\ntome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach\norgasm.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head,\na thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left\ntit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age\ngirlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a\nBLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade.\nDanny watches her fuck, only for a second.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(softly)\n\nDer !\n\nDanny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek\nforcefully grabs his little brother's arm.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(controlled)\n\nWhat?\n\nStacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off\nDerek and onto her side.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Fucking pervert, Dan!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>There's a black guy outside Der...\nbreaking into your car.\n\nDerek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and\nquickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his\nmattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and\nshoves in a clip.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How long has he been out there?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Not long.\n\n<b>STACEY\n</b>\nWho?\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Nobody. Relax.\n\nStacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his\nblack combat boots.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Who's out there, Derek?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not right now, honey.\n (to Danny)\nHow many?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>One...I think.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Is he strapped?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Hunh?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Does he have a fucking gun, Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm not sure.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Is there a driver?\n\nDanny nods his head yes.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Okay. Stay the luck here.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Derek? Be careful.\n\nHe looks at his girlfriend and walks off.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY - SAME\n</b>\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity\non his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and\ngrabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks\nthrough the eye hole on the door.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV\n</b>\nTHE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to\nsee what's taking his partner so long with the wires.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR\n</b>\nThe guard has his back to him. Derek goes.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL\n</b>\nDerek throws open the door and the black man standing\nguard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek\nburies two bullets in his chest.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck you!\n\nThe force propels the man six feet backwards.\n\n<b>INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN\n</b>\nStunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway\nTranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The\ncar splits and Derek fires a shot through the side\nwindow. He then walks towards the car and fires shot\nafter shot at it until it disappears.\n\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS\n</b>\nDavina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they\nwere in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not\nable to place the direction of the gunfire.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>\n<b>MOM!!!!\n</b>\n<b> DORIS\n</b><b>STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?!\n</b>\nThey stay down on the carpet together.\n\n<b>EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nFrom the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his\nwounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from\na distance.\n\n<b> STACEY (O.S.)\n</b>Get down, Danny! Jesus!\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from\nhis bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and\nwalks toward the man.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering.\n\n<b>FADE TO BLACK:\n</b>\n<b>THREE YEARS LATER\n</b>\n<b>EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING\n</b>\nA black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes\nthrough the automatic doors and into the station. He\napproaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk\nreads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Captain Rasmussen?\n\n<b> DESK SERGEANT\n</b>Briefing room. Down that hall...third\ndoor on the left.\n\n<b>INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING\n</b>\nCops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee.\nThe clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged\nwith slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a\nthought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly\nreaches for a file.\n\n<b>RASMUSSEN\n</b>All right. Moving on--\n(acknowledging)\nGood Morning, Doctor.\n\nThe group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Good morning.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney.\nHe's Principal over at Venice High and\nfor some time now he's done a load of\noutreach work with gangs...in and out\nof the can.\n\nSweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and\ncontinues.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Three years ago a local kid named\nDerek Vinyard gets sent up for\nmurdering a couple of Crips who were\ntrying to jack his car. Bob taught\nVinyard back in high school and has\nfollowed the case closely.\n\n<b> YOUNG COP\n</b>He was a skinhead, right?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Derek was more like...the skinhead.\nHe and Cameron Alexander.\n\n<b>COP #2\n</b>\nWho?\n\nRasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests\nDerek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals\nCAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Cammeron Alexander is probably the\nbiggest writer and distributor of\nwhite power literature in LA County.\nHe promotes white power bands, writes\nreviews, columns, all at the ripe age\nof forty.\n\n<b> YOUNG COP\n</b> (smiling)\nHe's forty? Jesus.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Pretty clean record...runs everything\nout of his house down by the beach.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>There weren't any organized white\ngangs around Venice before those two\nhooked up. Very few, if any. It was\nmostly just black and Mexican. But it\nwas tiny. They hit it off though...\nand Alexander hit the jackpot with\nDerek.\n\nRasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>We got some uncut footage here.\nCourtesy of NBC.\n\n<b>ON THE TELEVISION--\n</b>\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>Earlier this evening...LA County\nFirefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot\nand killed while putting out a fire in\na suspected Compton drug den.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b> (to the group)\nThis being February of '90.\n\n<b>EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE\n</b>\nA YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands\nnext to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High\nBasketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck,\nhe thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>To my right I have Lieutenant\nVinyard's oldest son Derek.\n (to Derek)\nHow do you feel about all this, son?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How do I feel? How do you think I\nfeel? It's typical.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>Typical how, Derek?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Well...look at our country. It's a\nhaven for criminals. Black...brown...\nyellow...whatever.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>So you're saying the murder of your\nfather is \"race\" related?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Every problem in this country is\n\"race\" related. Every problem, not\njust crime. These problems are rooted\nin the black community, the Hispanic\ncommunity, the Asian...every non-\nProtestant group in our society.\n (then)\nLook at the shit. Immigration...\nwelfare...AIDS...they're all the\nproblems of the non-white. Look at\nthe statistics.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>Most of these issues you're referring\nto though son are related to--\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (interrupting)\nNo no no! Don't say poverty right now\ncause that's not it. They're not a\nproduct of our fucking environment\neither! Minorities don't give two\nshits about this country! They're\nhere to exploit...not embrace.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN (O.S)\n</b> (over reporter's question)\nWhen Alexander got his hands on this\nsegment...he copied it, sent it out\nand it became the Gettysberg Address\nfor hate groups across the country.\n\n<b>BACK TO THE TELEVISION.\n</b>\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Millions of white Europeans came to\nthis country and flourished within a\ngeneration! A generation! So what\nthe fuck is wrong with these people?!\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>What does any of this have to do with\nyour father?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Because my father was doing his\nfucking job! Saving a nigger\nneighborhood he didn't give two shits\nabout! And he got killed by some drug\ndealer who still collects a fucking\nwelfare check.\n\nDerek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER\nDORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as\nhe puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside\ntheir Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to\nthe reporter who just stands there, speechless.\n\n<b>INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME\n</b>\nRasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and\nhe turns it off.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Vinyard was quietly released from\nChino on Saturday after three and some\nodd years. And I think it's something\nwe might want to keep an eye on for a\nfew days.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I don't wanna be an alarmist. But\npayback is out there. I know it is.\nAnd in this particular case...if\nVinyard gets popped...more people will\nget popped.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>It's not exactly LAPD policy but I\nwant 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard\nfor a few days.\n\n<b> COP #2\n</b>(smiling in disbelief)\nTwenty-four hour surveillance, sir?\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Just for a few days.\n\n<b> ANOTHER COP\n</b>He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here,\nCaptain. You want us to bust him or\nprotect him?\n\nRasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the\none to start anything. It's his\nfollowing.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Either way...let's keep it low.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING\n</b>\nPEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman\nheadphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that\ndoesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles\nnorth to get a better break on the next set. Danny\nwatches as he skateboards down the strand.\n\nHis appearance is changed, now resembling a younger,\nsofter Derek.\n\nHead shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN\nWHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all\nover it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M.,\nand Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver\noff to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b> EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL\n</b>\n Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their\n bikes and head off to class.\n\n<b> EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER\n</b>\n Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns\n to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman.\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b> Hi Danny.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Hey Lizzy.\n\nThe two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS.\n\n<b> CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL\n</b>\nDanny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads \"It wasn't\nme!\" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the\nbathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a\nyoung black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny\nzips up and faces them.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> (to a terrified Daryl)\n Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'?\n I've never cheated in my life.\n\n<b> BUDDY #1\n</b> Beat his ass, Henry!\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> Why you trippin' on me?\n\n<b> DARYL\n</b> I didn't say anything, Henry. I\n swear.\n\n<b> BUDDY #2\n</b> He's lying, man! I was right there!\n\nLittle Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically\nknocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl\nstruggles to his hands and knees behind Danny.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> Next time, man.\n\nDanny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv\nhelps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. CLASS - SAME\n</b>\nKids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in \nand tries to be discrete.\n\n<b> OFFSCREEN VOICE\n</b>Vinyard!?\n\nAn OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board\nfor the students to solve.\n\n<b> OLDER TEACHER\n</b>You're late.\n\nThe man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to\nDanny.\n\n<b> OLD TEACHER\n</b>But it looks like you got bigger\nproblems.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (reading the slip)\nOh, man! Come on. Get a job.\n\nThe teacher stares at him.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY\n</b>\nHe sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR.\nROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the\nsecretary as she types and talks on the phone.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through\nthe the crack in the door as his eyes swell.\n\n<b> MURRAY (O.S.)\n</b>I do not have a problem with him as an\nindividual, alright!?\n\n<b> SWEENEY (O.S.)\n</b>Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate\nthis kid.\n\n<b>INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION\n</b>\nThe bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48,\nlooks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray\nwalks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY,\nwho now has his jacket off.\n\nHe points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles\nin horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF.\n\"Daniel Vinvard - American History\" is in the upper left\nhand corner.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>This paper is a travesty, Bob!\nArguing for Hitler as a civil rights\nhero?! You've gotta draw a line.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Murray...it says in your syllabus that\nthey could do their report on any book\nrelated to the struggle for Civil\nRights.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Oh come on, Bob!\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Let me finish! He needs help...I'm\nnot disputing that. But I read it and\nI'm not going to throw him out.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>His brother probably put him up to it.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I can guarantee you his brother didn't\nhave anything to do with it, Murray.\n\nMurray sighs and takes off his glasses.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Don't let him walk scot-free here.\nFor his sake...not mine. You might be\nall he has left.\n\nSweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS\n</b>\nMurray walks out and turns back to Sweeney.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b> Thanks, Bob.\n<b> \n</b><b> SWEENEY (O.S.)\n</b> Okay. Get in here, Dan!\n\nDanny and Murray make hostile eye contact.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> I knew it was you.\n\n<b> SWEENEY (O.S.)\n</b> Shut up and get your ass in here!\n\n<b>INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS\n</b>\nBefore he even gets through the door he's chastised.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> What's it gonna be, Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> What's what going to be?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> This petty shit you're pullin'.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Well...I don't know.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> You said it, all right. Sit down.\n\nDanny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the\nteenager and leans back in his chair.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> Are you okay?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Yeah.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> Any time you wanna talk, Dan--\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Okay.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> How's Derek?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Fine.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Adjusting okay?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Yeah.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>He was a student of mine. Honors\nEnglish. He was a great student...\nlike you...but he hung out with\nscumbags. Also like you. That's why\nhe ended up in the pen, hunh?\n\nNo answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Great writing. I can't correct it\nthough. It wreaks too much of shit.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come on, man! I followed directions\nand wrote an \"A\" paper. It's got\nnothing to do with Derek.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Everything you do now has something to\ndo with Derek. Who told you to do\nthis?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Let us get on with our lives, man!\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he\ncan take care of himself. I'm worried\nabout his little brother.\n(softly)\nMein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Do it. What? You don't think I could\nhandle it?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> (smiling in disbelief)\nThe street would kill you, Danny.\nYou're not tough. The second a\nbrother pulls a gun on your ass you'll\nbe holierin' for Doris.\n (pondering to himself)\nSo here's the drill. Take it or leave\nit cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm\nyour history teacher from here on out.\nWe're gonna deal with shit happening\nright now. Call it American\nHistory...X. I see your ass once a\nday. Any more, any less, and you're a\nmemory at Venice High. Clear?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It took me a week to read Mein Kampf.\nCome on, Sweeney.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a\nanother paper on my desk tomorrow.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What am I doing it on then?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>It'S not a \"what\", it's a \"who.\"\n (after a beat)\nDerek.\n\n<b>SMASH TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\nA series of intercuts shows activity in and around the\npier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster.\nOPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia.\nA FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG\nMEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and\nboxers.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk,\nperforming tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit,\nrecovers, and looks off into the distance.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>People look at me...and they see my\nbrother. That's how things have gone\nsince the murder of our father.\n\n<b>EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT\n</b>\nFrom afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot\nhoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold\nglance.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Little Henry Hastings and his older\nbrother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline\nCrip...Henry's on his way.\n\nLittle Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath\nand stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips\nfrom a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Venice Beach, man. It didn't always\nlook like this. I mean...our Dad used\nto take us down here to run...and it\nwas cool. Derek fucking owned this\nplace. Since then though...the gangs,\nman--\n\nTIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he\ntakes a drag off his Marlboro Red.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>--they've moved west from Inglewood\nand South Central and have really\njust...taken over. Especially at my\nhigh school. The Venice Locos are big\ntoo but they hang out in bumluck Mar\nVista. It's scary.\n (then)\nAnd then there's The Disciples of\nChrist. The D.O.C.\n\nJerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra\nplayers and spectators.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nDANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3\nblacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1\nLatino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his\ntwo skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better,\npredominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has\na shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed\non his head.\n\nJEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the\ncourt and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left\nshoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON.\nCowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on\nthe bleachers.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Bring it on, boy.\n\nDerek quickly moves his eyes to the court.\n\n<b>LAWRENCE\n</b>Boy?\n\nLawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as\nhe hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Lucky piece of shit! I'm through\n\"monkeying\" around with your ass!\n\nLawrence spins around and challenges Seth.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating,\ncracker, motherfucker. A hundred\nbucks says I make you my bitch.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (to the crowd)\nHere we go! Trying to make ends meet\nfor that cut in welfare.\n\nHe makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline.\nLawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks\nat him, concerned.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It's eight-six, Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>When I want your fucking opinion I'll\nask for it, fuckhead.\n (to Derek and Cam)\nHelp me cover here, guys.\n\nDerek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose\nand embarrass them.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'll take this negro down.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up.\n\nDerek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and\nstands. He shouts for all to hear.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I got a bet.\n\nLawrence stares at him, sensing something harder.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I come in, same score now, first one\nto eleven. Black boys against the\nwhite boys.\n\nLawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Name your price, Cracker.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>No money...for the court. We win, you\ngrab your shit and find a different\nplace to run. Not just today...\nforever. You win, and we don't come\nback. No hitching, no fighting, here\nin front of everyone. Six-eight, our\nball.\n\nThe action around the court gets very still. Finally,\nLawrence nods.\n\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>You got a lot of fucking balls, man.\nBring it. Right now.\n\nDerek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey.\nLawrence gets his team together.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE\n</b>\nNo more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, \none team is black.\n\n<b>A SERIES OF SMOTS\n</b>\nDerek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek\nhits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses\nhis elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls\nDerek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a\ntwenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on\ntwo and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses\nthe glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane\nand dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish.\n<b> \n</b>SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on\ntransition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches\nintently.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>It's all you, Der!\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we\nneed is one now!\n\nLawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding\ncompetitive boundary. A look filled with rage.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Use that fat ass and keep him out,\nSeth!\n\nSeth and the opposing player bang to get position\nunderneath.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it \nout!\n\nThe POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court --\nhis teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek\nis solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is\nstifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence\ninadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face,\nsending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS.\n\n<b> CURTIS\n</b>That's fuckin' offense!\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Get the fuck outta here! He was\nmovin' his feet!\n\nDerek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(threateningly)\nI'll go if you want to.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>You wanna piece! Bring it!\n\nPlayers quickly rush to restrain the two even though the\nteams hate each other.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be\nthrowin' fuckin' elbows.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Fuck you!\n\nDerek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing\ncourtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting\nfor him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip.\nCameron stares at Derek.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Hey. Are you copacetic?\n\nDerek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>He's gonna do that 180 spin move.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I know what he's gonna do.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You gotta call offense on that shit.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not on point game you don't.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull\nthat shit. It's fucking-\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not on point, honey.\n\nHe turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence.\nHe stands in front of him and checks the ball in.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nTens!\n\nLawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and\nquickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a\nmarvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten\nfoot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT.\nLawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off\nthe fast break and DUNKS IT.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (amazed by the dunk)\nHoly shit!\n\nEverybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the\nsideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered.\nEveryone is riveted on Derek.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (to the other team)\nGet off my fucking court! This is my\nhouse!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Yeah! Fuck...yeah!\n\nA sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes\na drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his\nbitter opponent, and says nothing.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT\n</b>\nDerek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand\noutside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the\nstereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his\nsweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear,\nand it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag\nreads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER.\n\nDerek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny\nnotices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill.\nDerek meets their gaze.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nDanny awakens from his daydream. The black players now\nstare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down\nthe boardwalk.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>It was only the beginning.\n (then)\nDerek once told me that minorities\nwould take America over one day. That\nwhite people are too afraid. Maybe he\nwas right.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO\n</b>\nDanny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his\nhand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the\nback.\n\n<b>EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS\n</b>\nLIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond\nfriend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned.\n\n<b> KAMMI\n</b>Hey! Danny!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(smiling)\nHey.\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>You're going tonight, right?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>Where?\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>That party. Go there.\n\nThe two young girls giggle and take off.\n\n<b>INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME\n</b>\nJASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved\nheads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to\nINSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo\nwhile Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their\nfullsuits hang down.\n\n<b> DANNY (O.S)\n</b>There's dick for waves.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>I don't care. I just wanna get wet.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER\nDIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital\nclock that reads 4:47 p.m.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I've been trying to buy this. You \ncan't find it anywhere.\n\nThe two look at Dan.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope\nfucking shit, man. It's all about\nreclaiming the country. I'll let you\nread it when I'm done.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>There you go.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Hey? What was this Daryl shit you\nwere talking about?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl\nDawson's ass. He would're too if--\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Little Henry the negroid?\n\nDanny nods.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Everyday there's something over there,\nman.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Why do you think we fuckin' quit?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hear you.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER\n</b>\nThe three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris\nwith their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's\nshirt.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>What's ZOG again?\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Zionist somethin'.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Zionist-Occupational-Government.\n\nAhead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING\nCARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard\nand knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny\nbreaks off and heads east on Rose.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES\n</b>\nDAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on\nthe couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as\nshe lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu.\nShirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss\nher.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It's gonna be fine.\n\n<b>EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\nDanny skates up to his residence and looks at a car\nacross the street. Two plainclothes cops from the\nearlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar.\nDanny goes through the gate.\n\niNT. HOUSE- SAME\n\nDanny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands \nthere, wishing the day would just end.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Oh man--! Come on! What are you\ncrying about now?\n\nTHE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I got it.\n\nDanny looks to his mother.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Are you feeling better at all?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I need a kiss.\n\nDanny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away\nquickly so he won't get sick.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DEREK ON THE PHONE\n</b>\nHe listens to the man on the other line.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> Unhuh. Unhuh. Did you expel him?\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME\n</b>\nThere's a knock on the front door and Davina answers.\nShe opens the door and tries to shut it immediately.\nSKINHEAD FAT SETH, from the game earlier, wears a GOOD\nGUYS STEREO UNIFORM. He pushes the door back open.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> What do you want!?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Open up, bitch!\n\nDavina relents and Seth enters.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (examining him)\n Jesus! Are you sure you can fit\n through the door?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Fuck off.\n (excited)\n Where is he?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> Back in his bedroom.\n\nSeth pushes Danny to the side, passes Doris and yells.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (smiling)\n Where are you, you free motherfucker?\n\nSeth moves down the hall and bangs on Derek's door.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Vinyard!\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> He's on the phone, asshole!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Fuck off.\n\n<b> DEREK (O.S.)\n</b>I'll be out in a minute!\n\nWithout pushing it, Seth undoes his pants and moves into\nthe bathroom. Danny walks down the hall.\n\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - THE CAN\n</b>\nSeth sits on the toilet. Danny pushes the door slightly\nand stares at Seth's GUN on the bathroom counter. Danny\nlooks at him. After a few seconds--\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What are you lookin' at?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm still trying to figure it out.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Come in here and I'll show you,\nmaggot.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fuck off. When'd you start carryin'?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'm dropping the kids off at the pool,\njunior. Shut the fuckin' door!\n\nDanny grabs his nose and turns to the door behind him.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Jesus! Chew your food, dude!\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DEREK\n</b>\nHe continues into the phone receiver.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>All right. Thanks. I'll take care of\nit. Yeah.\n\nDANNY'S POV. He opens the door and sees Derek on the\nphone with his back to him. Above Derek is Danny's\nsurfboard, hanging on ropes hooked to the ceiling.\n\nBlue jeans, black boots and slicked back hair, Derek\nholds his hand up and motions for Dan to be quiet. The\nsleeves of tats covering his arms, shoulders and back\n(D.O.C.) define the hatred that has engulfed his past.\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(into the receiver)\nOkay. Okay. I'm what? What channel?\n\nHe covers the receiver, turns on a ten inch TV, and flips\nto the correct channel.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (without turning)\nWhat is it, Danny?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You got pigs outside.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nI know.\n\nDerek leans over the computer to check it out.\n\n<b>INT./EXT. BEDROOM - DEREM'S POV\n</b>\nHe looks through the blinds and stares at the UNMARKED\nCAR. Danny throws his backpack on the bed and exits.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He listens to the television.\n\n<b> TV ANCROR (O.S.)\n</b>Saturday's prison release of a former\nskinhead gang leader has many\ncommunity leaders up in arms tonight.\n\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - TIGHT ON SETH\n</b>\nHe points his Glock 9mm at the mirror.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Drop the t.v., nigger.\n\nHe laughs to himself and exits.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY - SETH CONTINUED\n</b>\nHe bangs on Derek's door once more, pissed that Derek\ndidn't open it earlier. He heads for the living room.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUE TV ACTION\n</b>\nDanny, Davina, and Doris are glued to the news story on\nthe same station. Doris, once beautiful, is now aged and\ngraying. NYQUIL, PEPTO BISMOL, two PRESCRIPTION\nCONTAINERS, and a spoon rest on the coffee table.\n\n<b>TIGHT ON THE TELEVISION. A WELL-DRESSED BLACK WOMAN\n</b>speaks angrily to the reporter covering the story.\nRandom black protestors nod and comment in the\nbackground.\n\n<b> BLACK WOMAN\n</b>Maybe now whites will understand the\nmotives behind people like Malcolm X\nand the Black Panthers. Just put the\nshoe on the other foot.\n\n<b>FLASH TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. CHINO PRISON - THE VINYARDS ON NEWS FOOTAGE\n</b>\nDanny walks' towards Derek and they smile and hug. Davina\nand Doris soon join in.\n\nDavina\n\n<b> BLACK WOMAN (V/O)\n</b>Derek Vinyard deserved the death\npenalty for what he did to that young\nman! And now he walks the street as\nfree as you and I.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> {to the tv)\nWhat about OJ, bitch!?\n\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE TV\n</b>\nThe news segment winds down.\n\n<b> BLACK WOMAN\n</b> (fed up, to the camera)\nThey've done it to us again.\n\nA hand reaches over to turn the channel. IT'S SETH.\nDoris, in an awful state, lays back down.\n\nTIGHT ON SETH. Tattoos cover his forearms. A BLOODY\nSNAKE is halfway tucked under his rolled-up sleeves.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Nigger lovin' Jew media calling the\nshots. Watch cartoons. It's the only\nt.v. that's safe nowadays.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>No one's safe--until we all are.\n\nSeth looks at the woman like she's from another planet.\nHe laughs and goes into the kitchen.\n\n<b>INT. KITCHEN - SETH'S POV\n</b>\nHe looks through the fridge but finds nothing. He closes\nthe door and looks at the family pictures on the door.\n\nA FAMILY SHOT of Doris, Derek, Danny, Davina, and DENNIS\nVINYARD in front of church. Seth appreciates Dennis in a\ncoat and tie. Below that, a picture of a dirty and\nrugged Dennis and a young Davina, wearing her father's\nFIRE HELMET. Danny with Doris.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Come in here, Dan.\n\n<b>INT. SMALL KITCHEN - SAME\n</b>\nHe sits and comes upon Davina's revealing CROTCH. She\nstudies and so does he. Danny walks in the kitchen and\nlooks through the fridge. He pulls out a leftover piece\nof steak and gnaws on it. Seth looks over at Dan\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Where the fuck you find that?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Goin' to Cam's party tonight?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Is Davina's ass water tight?\n\nDanny laughs.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> Hurry up and leave, Goodyear. You've \n taken your dump now go.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Listen to you. You callin' me a\n blimp, you fuckin' Democrat?!\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> Yes! I am!\n\nDanny takes a bite and laughs at Seth.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> I'm there tonight.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Oh yeah? You ask Derek?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Noo...but he's got two kegs.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Well...you can think of me drinkin'\n'em then when you're studying with\nfuckin'... White Trash in there.\n\nDavina scoffs and Seth looks up her shirt.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Where is the fucker, by the way!?\nHe's hiding from us.\n\nDavina looks up from her homework and catches the pervert\nlooking at her.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You're not even human.\n\nSeth erupts with laughter.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Is Cam playing sticks?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Of course, man.\n\nSeth drums on the table as Danny shoves the last bite\ninto his mouth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Sit down. I wanna ask you some\nquestions.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I got homework, Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Two fucking seconds, dude!\n\nDanny sits and looks at Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Tell me your convictions.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fuck off.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Tell me some of the shit you've\nlearned luckbrain or I'll pistol-whip\nyou.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>About Adolf?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>About anything. What do you believe\nin?\n\nDanny thinks to himself and smiles.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I believe in filth and destruction and\nchaos and death and greed.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What else?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I believe in my family.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Why?\n<b> DANNY\n</b>\"Respect your father and your mother.\nWhoever curses your mother and\nfather... is to be put to death.\"\nMatthew 15-4.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Good. What else? Tell me what I want \nto hear, asshole.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You mean that stuff about your mother?\n\nDavina CACKLES in the background.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You wanna get beaten?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Then tell me about Adolf and Mein.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - DAVINA\n</b>\nShe puts down her homework and looks over at Seth.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Hey Seth? Cut the shit.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'm not fuckin' talkin' to you,\nDavina, shut up! Do you believe in\nAdolf?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Yeah, man. I believe in Adolf.\n\nSeth smiles at the youth and speaks intimately.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What do you hate, Danny?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate everyone that isn't white\nProtestant.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Why? And say it with some fucking\nconviction!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Because they're a burden to the\nadvancement of the white race. Some\nof them are all right--\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>None of them are all right, Danny.\nThey're all a bunch of fucking\nfreeloaders.\n (after a beat)\nRemermber Canuneron. \"We don't know\nthem, we don't want to know them,\nthey're the fucking enemy.\" What\ndon't you like about them?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I don't know. I feel threatened by\nthem.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>They feel threatened by you!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (ignoring her)\nWhat else, Danny? And speak\nintelligently you little queer faggot.\n\nDavina's attention is rapt on her little brother.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate the fact that it's cool to be\nblack these days.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>Good.\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate this hip hop influence on white\nfuckin' suburbia.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>\nGood!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate Hilary Clinton and all of her\nZionist MTV pigs telling us we should\nget along. Save the rhetorical\nbullshit honey, it ain't gonna happen.\n\nSeth looks at the young man. He smiles at him with\ndistinct revelation.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>That's the best shit I've ever heard\ncome out of that mouth.\n\nTIGHT ON DAVINA. She stares at the two hate mongers.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I feel.sorry for you, Danny.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Shut up, Davina.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You shut up, you poison to fuckin'\nsociety! Get out of our house!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (laughing)\nIs this any way to treat a guest?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Derek hates you, Seth.\n\n<b> DEREK (O.S.)\n</b>How do you know who I hate, Davina?\n\n<b>TIGHT ON DEREM VINYARD - SILENCE.\n</b>\nHe's a striking presence with his scruff, tight t-shirt\nand tats hanging down his arm. A black jacket wraps\naround his waist.\n\n<b> DAVINA (O.S)\n</b>What do you mean?\n\nSeth stands and smiles.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Hey! How are you, man? Fuckin' A.\nLong time no see. Look at that hair.\n\nSeth moves to hug his old friend but Derek offers a\nreluctant hand instead.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Gimme just one second, okay?\n\nSeth nods as Derek stares at Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Did you do a book report on Mein Kampf?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What's it to you?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (ready to kill)\nWhat's it to me?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (seeing this)\nI mean...how'd you find out?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>None of your fucking business how I\nfound out.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I thought it was a great idea.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>That figures. You're more stupid than\nhe is.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>It's nice to see you too, man.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Why'd you do it, Dan? Because of\nSeth.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Cammeron?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I did it cause I felt like it.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Oh, you do everything you feel like?\nI feel like smacking you in the\nfucking head. Would you mind if I did\na report on that?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Uhhh...yeah.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Get a clue, you dumbshit. Hey! Look\nat me! Don't be a dickhead. Sweeney\ncares about you.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (smiling)\nSweeney does? Since when?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Was that him on the phone?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Yep. So wise up. You hear me?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Sweeney's a fuckin' nigger on a power\ntrip, Vinyard. That's what he was\nlike when we were there and that's how\nhe is now. It'll never change either.\nA nigger is a nigger.\n\nDerek stares at Seth, ready to beat the fuck out of him.\nSuddenly, Doris starts in with a COUGHING ATTACK. Derek \nquickly fills a glass of water and goes in there.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - THE PINK BLANKET\n</b>\nShe coughs incessantly. Derek sits down beside her,\nhands her the water, and caresses her head. The others\nstare at her in the background.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Just put me out of my mercy.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You'll be okay. You want me to pick\nyou up any more medicine?\n\nTogether they look at all the bottles and laugh. Derek\nchecks out the couch.\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Jesus. I can't believe I ever let it\nget this bad.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>It's not that uncomfortable.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Are you gonna to live or what, Mom?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I need a cigarette.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> My ass. You smoke two packs a day.\n That's why you're spittin' phlegm.\n\nDoris coughs once again and spits green into her napkin.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>(astonished)\nJesus, Mrs. Vinyard. I think a lung\njust came up.\n\nEverybody laughs -- including Doris. Derek tenderly puts \nhis hand on his mother's cheek.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I'm high as a kite.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You got any more?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Daniel? I know you got homework.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm goin' in a second. Relax.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (interjecting to Derek)\nHey. I'm gonna re-wipe and we're out\nof here.\n\nSeth laughs as he walks down the hall.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You're a pig.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I don't like him in this house.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I knew.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>He ' s a fuckin ' loser, Nazi scumbag.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No he's not.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> Yes he is. Open your eyes.\n\nDanny looks at Derek and smiles.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Whatever, dude. I'm gonna go power\n that shit and I'll see you later.\n\nHe pats his brother on the shoulder and walks off.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not at Cammeron's you won't see me.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (turning back)\nCome on, Der! It's gonna be fuckin'--\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> Forget it, Danny! It ain't gonna\n happen for you tonight.\n\nDanny walks off, frustrated. He crosses Seth's path,\ngets shoved into the wall, and reacts like it's an\neveryday occurrence. Seth moves out the side window and\nclimbs out.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Hurry up. I'm starving.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> What else is new?\n\nDerek nods, looks at his mother and kisses her on the\nforehead.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'll see ya.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Okay. Be careful.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nI will.\n\nDerek follows Seth out the SIDE WINDOW and goes down the\nalley.\n\n<b>INT. APARTMENT - TIGHT ON DORIS\n</b>\nShe thinks to herself and closes her eyes.\n\n<b>EXT. SIDE STREET - SETH'S TRUCK\n</b>\nDerek looks at the oblivious cops and drops into the\npassenger's seat. Seth starts the engine and drives\naway. As the truck disappears, we pick up on a WHITE\nSOUPED UP JEEP CHEROKEE turning the corner. Tinted\nwindows, it cruises past the apartment complex.\n\n<b>INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - A DESK\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nDanny's attention is everywhere except on his homework.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> This sucks.\n\nHe walks back out of his bedroom.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY/LIVING ROOM - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nHe watches Davina complete her homework on the couch.\nDoris, on the sofa opposite, tries to sleep.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Hey.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Hey what?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come here.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>\nWhat!?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come here for a second!\n\nThe scholar sets her homework aside and impatiently\nfollows him down the hall.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - TWO SINGLE BEDS\n</b>\nShe sits on the edge of DANNY'S bed. Danny hands her his\nassignment instructions.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I got shit to do, Dan.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Just read it.\n\nShe sighs and begins to read it out loud.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>\"American History X? Take home paper\nas assigned by Principal Robert\nSweeney?\"\n (to Danny)\nWhy is he giving you homework? What\nhappened to Murray?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Asshole turned me in.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>Why?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Just read.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>\"Describe in detail your opinion of\n-the historical event that took place\nin the early morning of October 4th,\n1993.\" What's that?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>The night Derek wasted those guys.\n\nDavina takes a moment.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Sweeney gave you this?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>\nYep.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (continuing her reading)\n\"Before and after...how has this event\nhelped or hurt your present\nperspective concerning life in\ncontemporary America. Use the\nstandard five paragraph format, blab\nblab blah--this'll be good for you..\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Nooo...it'll be good for you.\n\nShe stares at him for a good three seconds.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Eat me, Dan.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come on! Dick Nixon's playin' at\nCammeron's tonight. You owe me.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I'm not doing your homework for you!\nI gotta spreadsheet due!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Goddammit!\n\nDavina walks to the door and looks back to her brother.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>What's the matter with you? You wanna\nbe a fuckin' loser your whole life?\n\nNot receiving a response, she walks out the door.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Asshole Sweeney.\n\nHe slowly begins to strike the computer keys. The screen\nreads \"People look at me and they see my brother. That's\nthe way things have gone since the murder of our father,\"\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. The frustated kid sits and thinks to himself.\nhimself.\n\n<b>QUICK CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - NIGHT - FLASHBACK\n</b>\n\nTHE BROAD EXPANSE OF AN EMPTY, DIMLY LIT PARKING LOT. In\nthe distant corner we see a few parked cars and a group\nof skins gathering.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>It was lunacy after he left us. All\nthe time. Derek believed in\nCammeron...he was angry...that\ncombination gave them bodies. White\npunks...sick of gettin' their asses\nkicked by black and mexican gangs at\nschool.\n\n<b>TIGHT ON DANNY LEANING AGAINST AN ADJACENT CAR.\n</b>\nSeven skins, including Seth and Curtis, smoke and wait.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Danny looks to his left and sees Derek with\nCammeron, who sits in the driver's seat of the BRONCO.\nStacey leans in from the backseat.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>I hope you kill that fucker.\n\nDerek looks back at her and straight to Cameron.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>He might have a gun.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Are you going in or not?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You know I got the cops on me. If I\ncome up on one of those cameras I'm a\ndead man.\n\nDerek stares at the older man, who appears nervous.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Somebody needs to drive, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (referring to his mouth)\nAll right. You can turn it off now.\n (back to Stacey)\nYou're right on his tail, right?\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b> (nodding)\nI hate that fucking Korean. I hope\nyou smash his face in.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Just be ready, okay?\n\nShe nods and Derek gets out. The group is silent.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come on. Let's pull it together.\nHey! We're not playing fuckin' games\nhere. Let's go.\n\nThe group snaps to attention behind him as Seth toys with\nthe camera. CURTIS from earlier takes a hit off a joint\nand makes Derek wait for him. Derek walks over to the\ncrazy man, takes the joint, and throws it onto the\nground.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the fuck, Curtis? You a fuckin'\nnigger now? Want some crack?\n\n<b>CURTIS\n</b>No.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (grabbing his neck)\nPull your fucking stupid head out of\nyour ass then.\n\n<b> CURTIS\n</b>Okay. Jesus.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to the group)\nWe're here tonight cause we got\nimmigration problems spiralling out of\ncontrol. We got Asians up the ass...\ntaking over our land with their\nfucking Yen. Mexicans...flocking into\nthis place like some giant fucking\nPinata was shattered.\n\nThe group busts up. Cammeron watches Derek and smiles.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Don't laugh. It's tragic. On the\nStatue of Liberty it says \"Give me\nyour tired, your hungry, your poor,\nyour huddled masses...yearning to be\nfree.\" It does not say give me your\nshiftless, your greedy, your indolent,\nyour criminals, looking for a free\nticket.\n\nThe group agrees.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We're here tonight to show the\ngovernment how we feel about\nminorities taking over our country.\nThe treat us like criminals while they\nreward them with jobs and fucking\nwelfare checks. And it's only getting\nworse.\n\n<b> ET AL\n</b>(nodding)\nFuck yeah it is.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Are you ready to do something about\nit? \n\n<b>ET AL\n</b>Yeah.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Okay then.\n\nAND THEY'RE MOVING. In formation. Fast. Directly at\nus. Angry.\n\nAs the camera swings into line, TRACKING WITH THEM, Derek\nreaches into his back pocket and pulls out a STOCKING\nMASK. He pulls it down over his face.\n\nThe foot soldiers follow him in unison.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (back to his troops)\nRemember. No names. Danny? Stay\nright on my fucking ass, man.\n\nAnd now they're getting ahead of us. As the CAMERA\nSWINGS behind them, we see their destination.\n\n<b>EXT. LIGHTED GROCERY STORE - SAME\n</b>\nThey storm the front entrance. The few people who are in\nthere scream and scramble for cover. Derek grabs a\nMexican boxboy and throws him to the ground. Seth\ncatches up to another and gets him on the ground.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Wheto's your fucking green card,\nasshole?\n\nSeth kicks the young man in the face with a blatant shot\nand continues. DEREK leaves a terrified white woman\nalone like she's not even there and pushes over an\nadjacent shelf, knocking over another worker with CANS OF\n<b>BEANS.\n</b>\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(referring to the border)\nCan't hide from me, motherfucker!\n\nHe kicks the man and looks around the market for more.\nDanny watches in awe. Curtis breaks a giant jelly jar\nover a head. Another skin throws a BLACK CHECKER into a\nshelf of POTATO CHIPS.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He looks up at one of the aisle mirrors.\n\n<b>INT. BACK STOCK AREA - THE 55-YEAR-OLD KOREAN OWNER\n</b>\nHe rushes out with a pistol. He takes aim on Curtis and--\n<b>FROM OUT OF NOWHERE, DEREK TAKES A MOP TO THE OWNER'S\n</b>HEAD AND PROCEEDS TO KICK HIM. Danny looks at Derek like\nhe's Superman.\n\nDerek looks to his watch and straightens up.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Let's go! We're outta here! Move !\n\nFrom just inside the door we see skins get in their last\nblows and pour out the aisles and pass us through the\ndoors. TIRES SCREECH. THE CAMERA HOLDS ON THE WRECKAGE\n<b>OF THE MARKET AND THE MOTIONLESS BODIES ON THE FLOOR;\n</b>\n<b>INT. BRONCO - TIGHT ON DANNY\n</b>\nHe takes off his stocking mask and stares at his stone-\nfaced brother.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>And before Derek could even blink...he\nhad a crazed army behind him.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - PRESENT - THE COMPUTER\n</b>\nDanny sparks up a cigarette and types on the screen.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Willing to follow his word like it was\nthe word of God.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A RAINY NIGHT - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nAs the rain falls, we see the Vinyards sitting at the\ntable. Stacey and Murray Rosenberg, Doris' then\nboyfriend who we met earlier, round out the clan. Stacey\nsits close to Derek.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>And then came October 4th, 1993.\n\n<b>INT. BEACH HOUSE - THE DINING ROOM\n</b>\nDoris looks wonderful while Murray, mustache and beard,\nshakes his head at Derek as he chatters away.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Things were fine on the homefront. My\nMom had a good job but a below average\nboyfriend. We had a four-bedroom\nhouse that Dad left us with. Everyone\nwas happy.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. Shaved head, rolled-up sleeves, tattoos,\nloosened tie, LA COPY CENTER name tag from earlier. His\ncharisma draws their attention as he rambles over the\ncrackling rainfall.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Everyone but Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck you, Murray. White men don't\ncruise the streets of LA killing each\nother.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>No. You guys make bombs.\n\nDerek stares at the man, eyes filled with homicide.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You're so fucking lame. A couple of\ncranks in cabins in Montana is not\nstatistically significant.\n (then)\nWhite Americans don't take PCP and\ndrink and drive a hundred and twenty\nfuckin' miles an hour! We pull over\nand trust the law.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>You're kidding, right?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (sarcastically)\nDon't you know, Murray? White people\nnever break the law. We're perfect\nlittle angels.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>That's not what I said, Davina.\n (to the group)\nThree different times Rodney King\ncomes at those officers with the\nintent to hurt them. To hurt them!\nThree times! But since we see it on\nsome fucking tampered videotape...the\nbleeding heart media makes you believe\nthat he only comes at them once. All\nwe see is Powell, Koon and Wind\nhittin' him and--\n (busting up laughing)\nBriseno kickin' him in the back of the\nfuckin' skull with his boot. Still,\nthe dumbfuck's tryin' to get up and\nkick their asses! That's how stupid\nthat motherfucker is. Those cops used\ntextbook-solid tactics and if Dad were\nstill here he'd say the same damn\nthing.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>That doesn't make it right.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Yes it does. Yes it does. They're\ncops! They are taught to use that\nstick and they did.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Excessively.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>No. Appropriately. Appropriately!\nCops have been granted a certain\namount of authority by society and\nwhite people, unfortunately, are the\nonly ones who acknowledge it. I\nacknowledge a cop's authority.\n\nDavina starts to laugh.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Look who's talking about respecting\nthe law? Mr. K.K.K. here.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>That's two errors in one sentence,\nDavina, so take a fucking course in\nsemantics. First error--I didn't say\nI respect the law. I said I respect a\ncop's authority. Second error...I'm\nnot a member of the fuckin' low rent,\ndisorganized, redneck Ku Klux Klan..\nPull your head outta your ass and look\nat who you're dealing with.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Don't speak to her that way, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Murray, stay out of it. You're not a\nmember of this family and you never\nwill be.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>What the hell does that have to do\nwith anything?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> (to Derek)\nYou know...sometimes it's hard to\nbelieve I gave birth to you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Give thanks to the food on the table\nand then believe it, Doris.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>We both put food on this table, fella.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>True enough. The point is...if Dan\nwas walking across the street that\nnight and Rodney King plowed into him--\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Can we forget about Rodney King for\nchrissake?!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (fiercely continuing)\n--while hopped up on Chivas and\nP.C.P...you'd consider the force those\ncops used to be justified!\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He didn't hit anybody!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>If he did though! If that shithead\nkilled Dan...you would have believed\nthe beating to be justified and so\nwould everybody else. But since he\ndidn't hit anyone...it's \"Hands Across\nAmerica\" for the son of a bitch.\n\nDerek takes a bite of food.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We are still so hung up in this notion\nthat we have an obligation to help the\nstruggling black man and all you\ncontribute to it! Lincoln freed the\nslaves a hundred and thirty years ago!\nGet off your fucking asses!\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>I'm with you, honey. All the way.\nIt's one...giant...ploy.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Here we go.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>I mean...nobody likes Chief whatever\nhis name is, right?\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>Gates.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Yeah. So here comes this filthy piece\nof garbage in his Hyundai. He pulls\nover in front of a perfectly lighted\narea where a video camera is sitting\nthere...fucking waiting for him, man.\nWhat happens next? Chief Gates is\ndust. It's total--\n\nDavina drops her silverware on the plate with a clatter\nand looks at her mother. Everyone stares at Davina.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (to Doris)\nMay I be excused please?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Don't interrupt, Davina.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I didn't interrupt shit.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>The hell you didn't. I was listening\nto Stacey and then I heard you.\nThat's called interrupting. Wait 'til\nshe's finished and you can be excused.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Who the hell do you think you are?\n\nDerek jumps up from the table and grabs her by the back\nof the hair. The table JOLTS and plates tumble to zhe\nfloor. \n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You don't know when to shut up.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Dammit Derek!\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>What are you trying to prove, man?!\n\nDerek turns and laughs at Murray.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm trying to teach my sister some\nrespect, Murray.\n\n<b> DAVI NA\n</b>Let go of my fucking hair!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to Murray)\nSee! See the way she speaks! Tell me\nyou're gonna shut up and I'll let go.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Derek! Let go of her hair and sit\ndown!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I will when I hear an answer, Doris.\nAre you going to shut up, Davina?\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He gets up quickly and tries to pull\nDerek off. Derek turns and cracks Danny in the face with\na BACKHAND, dropping him back into a cabinet. A crystal\nvase with flowers crashes to the floor, just missing\nDanny's head.\n\n<b>MURRAY\n</b>\nJesus!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to Danny)\nWhat are you thinkin'?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> Danny?! Are you okay?!\n\nDanny nods his head as everyone looks at Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It's a real easy question, Davina. A\nsimple yes or no will suffice. Tell\nme what I want to hear and I'll let\ngo.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Fuck...you.\n\nDerek takes a piece of roast beef off her plate and\nshoves it in her mouth. Me holds the whole piece inside\nso she can't spit it out. Davina cries as she chokes on\nthe meat.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>She can't breathe, Derek!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Stay back, both of you! It's her bed,\nshe's gotta lie in it.\n (grabbing harder)\nYou can cry all you want, Davina. I'm\nnot gonna let go until you tell me\nwhat I wanna hear! Are you going to\nshut that fat fucking mouth of your's\nand let my girlfriend tell her\nopinion? Are you?!\n\nDORIS grabs him from behind and he aggressively turns on\nher. Derek curls his tongue behind his teeth and raises\nhis arm like he's actually going to smack his mother.\nShe grabs his arm though, forcefully.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Let go of her hair and get out.\n\nDerek releases his grip on his sister and she spits the\nroast beef onto the floor. She runs into the back\nbedroom crying, choking and coughing.\n\n<b> DAVINA (O.S)\n</b>I hate you, you fucking asshole!\n\nThe door slams shut in the background. Doris, Murray,\nDanny, and Stacey all stare at Derek. Derek calmly faces\nhis brother.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You okay?\n\nDanny nods.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b> (softly)\nPsycho.\n\nIN SLO MO--Time FREEZES as Derek slowly turns his head\nback to Murray. ON THE TRACK we hear a few keys being\ntyped and then silence. A cigarette sizzles.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY THINKING - PRESENT\n</b>\nHe takes a long drag off his cigarette and exhales. He\nslowly runs his hands over his stubbly head, marveling at\nthe past.\n\n<b>BACK QUICKLY TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. DINING ROOM - TIGHT ON DEREK - FLASHBACK CONT.\n</b>\nDerek smiles at Murray in wonder and disbelief.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Would you care to repeat that, Murray?\nI'm not sure I got all of it.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b> (smiling)\nHe called you a \"psycho\", honey.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (smiling back)\nWas that it? Thanks Murray.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>See. Here we go again with this,\nDerek. Making me out to be the bad\nguy again.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>You callin' me a liar, RosenKike?\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>(to Stacey)\nHey goddammit! You talk to me with\nrespect or--!\n\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Or what, Murray!? What're you gonna\ndo? Give her fucking detention?\n\n<b> DORIS \n</b>Both of you get out right now.\n\nMurray stares at Derek with pity. Doris becomes\nemotional.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> (to Derek)\nDo you think you're the only one who's\naffected around here?\n\nDerek focuses on his mother for a moment. A captivated\nDanny watches and waits as Derek turns to Murray.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Out of respect for my mother...I'm\ngonna let that comment go, Murray. I\nwon't bash your face in. But let me\ntell you somethin'...man to fuckin'\nmouse here. Normally in a situation\nlike this I'd take my steel-tips to\nyour fucking Jewish temple. That goes\nfor anyone making comments about me,\nmy family, Stacey, whomever. You know\nand I know that I could crush that\npuny fuckin' skull of yours in a\nsecond. So it's beyond me why you\nwould say something like that without\nbeing able to back it up? What's\nworse, you sack of shit, is you\ncalling the woman I love a liar.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>I never said she was a liar.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Weasel like that again Murray...you\nfuckin' ponytail, pussy, bagel eating,\nteacher, faggot...and I'll cut your\nshylock nose off. Make no mistake.\n\nMurray silently walks out of the house. Derek claps and\nsings the Jewish celebration song \"Hava Naghila.\" Stacey\njoins in and the two laugh. Doris goes after Murray.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Murray Rosenberg...International Jew.\n\n<b>EXT. STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\nMurray goes to his car and Doris follows. Danny watches\nfrom the door.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He's a stupid kid, Murray! I'm sorry!\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>He's not a kid, Doris. We were kids.\nWe didn't call people kikes.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>It's just gonna take some time with\nhim. What can I do?\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>You don't know your children, Doris!\nYou have no clue about the world they\nlive in. Your son is a terrorist.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He's not a terrorist, Murray. Jesus!\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>He's a member of the Disciples of\nChrist. You remember that grocery\nstore incident?!\n\n<b>DORIS\n</b>\nMurray?\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>My sister and her two kids got\nevacuated from her Temple in Woodland\nHills!\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Murray! Please! Derek would never\nhave anything to do with bombs, okay?!\nYou don't know him like I do.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b> And I wouldn't want to. Goodbye.\n\nMurray gets inside and goes down the street.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - SAME\n</b>\nDANNY'S POV -- He watches Doris stand alone, her face in\nher hands, crying.\n\nBEHIND Dan a humiliated Davina storms towards Derek, now\nwielding a BASEBALL BAT.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>\nDavina?\n\nDerek hears Dan and looks out of the corner of his eye.\nHe spots her at the last moment.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Take this, you fucking dick!\n\nDerek pops up quickly, disarms her, and pulls her close.\n\n<b> DEREK \n</b>Davina! It's okay! Calm down. \nPlease.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Fuck you! Let go!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (whispering in her ear)\nI'm sorry, Davina. Come on.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Let go of me!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come on, Davina. I'm sorry. I lost\ncontrol. Please. I screwed up.\n\nDerek holds tight until the crying girl settles down.\nHe's gripped as desperately by remorse as he was moments\nbefore by rage. He kisses and repeats his apology over\nand over. Finally, she succumbs and puts her arms around\nhim. Derek looks to Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (hugging Davina)\nYou guys are my life and I'd do\nanything for you. You do know that?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (wiping her tears)\nI don't believe you anymore.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I swear to God I would, Davina.\nPlease.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I believe you, Der.\n\nDerek smiles at his little brother, lovingly.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Davina? Please forgive me. Please.\nI'm sorry.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (nodding, after a beat)\nThat fuckin' sucked, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I know it did. And I'm sorry.\nI just really hate that guy.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You couldn't tell.\n\nA RAINSOAKED DORIS walks through the front door.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Find an apartment because I want you\nout of here.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Morn, I'm sorry but that guy's--\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I don't wanna hear it anymore! I want\nyou out!\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>He can move in with me.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>When?\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Tomorrow.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Good.\n\nShe walks past Derek and into the back bedroom.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY'S EYES - PRESENT\n</b>\nHe rises from the computer and PEEKS out the blinds. The\ntwo cops supposedly watching Derek are now eating in the\ncar. One of them looks up. Danny flips the blinds down.\nFrom the other room, he hears Doris break into another\ncoughing fit.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - DANNY\n</b>\nHe sits beside her and hands her a glass of water.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>Here.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Thank you, honey.\n\nShe coughs, recovers, and sips. Danny walks away.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Hey. Come here. Sit with me.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I've got this thing to do.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You can sit down for two seconds.\n\nHe looks at her and sits beside her.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Don't breathe on me.\n\n<b>DORIS\n</b>I won't.\n\nThey share a smile.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It's cold in here, no wonder your\nsick.\n\nShe stares and smiles at him for a few moments.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>What?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>What? I'm not allowed to look at you\nanymore?\n\nHe smothers her face with his hand, jokingly.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No. You're not.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> (laughing)\nDaniel Patrick! Stop it! Are you\never gonna let that beautiful hair\ngrow back?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Nope. Never.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I bet you will.\n\nHe smiles and locks eyes with his mother for several\nmoments. He finally rises and walks back to his room.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Get some sleep.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>If you need me to proof anything for\nyou I will.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'll be all right.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Wake up early if you get tired.\n\nDoris watches him disappear down the hall, distant\nthoughts creeping back slowly.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM CLOSET - DANNY\n</b>\nHe grabs a flannel and throws it on. He sees a cigar box\nthat rests on the right shelf. He grabs it and looks\ninside. The rolled-up LA TIMES clipping reads \"Prominent\nSkinhead Charged with Murder.\" The accompanying picture\nof Derek is near evil.\n\nTIGHT ON HIS EYES. Danny stares at the clipping. ON THE\n<b>TRACK--GUNSHOTS.\n</b>\n<b>MATCH CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM WINDOW - THE EYES - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nHe watches Derek fire his gun at the TRANS AM as it\nblazes down the street. He walks over to the wounded man\non the lawn and points his weapon.\n\n<b> STACEY (O.S.)\n</b>Get on the floor, Danny! Jesus!\n\nDanny looks down at her and hurries out of his room.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON DEREK\n</b>\nHe hovers over big Lawrence. Gun pointed steadily, he\nkicks him in the stomach over and over -- tongue pressed\nagainst teeth. Hot air flows from Derek's breath and\ninto the cold.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> You fucked with the wrong bull.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b> Goddamn, man!\n\nDanny watches his brother from the front porch.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Let the cops handle it, Der!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck that. The cops will let him\nwalk.\n\nDerek grabs Lawrence and drags him to the CURB.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Ever shoot at firemen, you fuck?\n (then)\nOpen your mouth and put it on the\ncorner of the curb. I'm gonna teach\nyou a little lesson.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Derek!?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Get in the fucking house, Dan!\n\nDanny doesn't move.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Come on, man. Call an ambulance.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>My dad gave me that truck,\nmotherfucker. Couldn't leave well\nenough alone. Put your mouth on the\ncorner of the fucking curb!\n\nDerek cocks his piece and Lawrence complies--his teeth\nnow scraping concrete. SIRENS sound from afar. Danny\nwalks out into the middle of the street to check it out.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>The cops are comin' Der'\n<b> \n</b>\nLawrence mumbles something unintelligible from his\noutstretched mouth.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the fuck did you say? You just\nthreaten me? Hunh? Hunh? Hunh?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(anticipating)\n\nNo!\n\nDerek STOMPS his foot on the back of LAWRENCE'S head -\ncompletely tearing his jaw in half on the curb's corner.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (crying)\nHoly fucking shit! Derek! What the\nhell was that for?! Jesus!\n\nThe two lock eyes. Derek does not flinch. Helicopter\nlights shine on the house. COP CARS SCREECH TO A HALT.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Two cops take cover behind their door, draw\ntheir guns, and shout instructions. Derek puts the gun\ndown, puts his arms behind his head, and drops to his\nknees. His eyes are remorseless.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Joseph Conrad once wrote that \"murder\nis always with us. It's almost an\ninstitution.\" That couldn't rang more\ntrue than with me.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. WET STREET - THE CRIME SCENE - LATER\n</b>\nFIVE PATROL CARS, a FIRE TRUCK, TWO AMBULANCES, and a\nthrong of terrified NEIGHBORS strangle the front of the\nhouse. Clothed and handcuffed, Derek is escorted from\nthe house by two uniformed cops and RASMUSSEN.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Bobby Lawrence died of massive head\ntrauma early that morning.\n\nDerek marches past the bodies -- which are being tended\nto thoroughly.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Six months after that...Derek was\nconvicted and sentenced to seven years\nfor voluntary manslaughter...to be\nserved at the California State\nPenitentiary in Chino.\n\nRasmussen forces Derek's head down and he gets in the\ncar. He stares at his brother and sister as police\nlights flash on him. Then to Stacey. Finally, to a\nlifeless Doris. They lock eyes as the patrol car takes\noff down the street.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Prosecutors wanted murder one for my\nbrother's torture method...but there\nwasn't enough \"premeditated\" evidence.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>OMIT\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S EYES\n</b>\nThey clearly focus on the computer. HIGHLIGHTED is the\nsentence \"There might have been if I testified.\" Only\nwhen he hits the DELETE KEY does it disappear. He\ncontinues typing.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b> (continuing)\n Over the next year we'd lose our house\n and the rest of our father's pension\n to attorney fees. My mother...much to\n all of our surprise...stood by Derek.\n\nDanny's interrupted by a LOUD KNOCK on the front door.\n\n<b>INT. FRONT HALL - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nHe looks through the PEEPHOLE and sees it's CHRIS AND\nJASON. He sighs in relief and opens the door.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>We're here, dude.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Drop your dick and grab your stick.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I told you I can't tonight.\n\n<b> DORIS (O.S.)\n</b> (from the couch)\nDanny?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It's okay, Mom.\n\nThe two punks laugh as Danny pushes them and their boards \nback to his bedroom. He shuts his bedroom door.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - THE THREESOME\n</b>\nDanny looks at the two.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>If I don't finish this thing I'm dead.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Just tell 'em you'll do it tomorrow.\nYou can't miss the party.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Fire pie Lizzy called and told us to \ngrab your ass.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>She did?\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b> (nodding)\nYou gotta hit that shit. It's the \nonly fun thing that's legal anymore.\n\nThe PHONE RINGS and Danny grabs it.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Hello?\n\n<b>INT. DARK OFFICE - TIGHT ON SWEENEY\n</b>\nThe only illumination shines through the window from the \nstreet. Holding his briefcase, he stands over his desk\nphone, all packed up and almost out the door.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY (O.S.)\n</b>Yeah?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Dr. Sweeney.\n\n<b>INTERCUT THE CONVERSATION\n</b>\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (worried)\nWhat's going on?\n\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Nothing here. Is everything all right\nover there?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Everything's fine.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>How's it comin'?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm doing it right now.\n\n<b> CMRIS\n</b>Who is it, dude?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (covering the receiver)\nIt's Sweeney.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Who?! Why is he calling here!? Fuck\nyou, Sweeney! Asshole!\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>(grabbing the receiver)\nGet a fucking job, you reggie!\n\nDanny grabs the receiver back and yells at his friends.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You fuckers are going to get me\nbooted!\n (into the receiver)\nDr. Sweeney? I'm sorry, man.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Just make sure it's on my desk\ntomorrow, Danny.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It'll be there, alright!?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>It better be.\n\nSweeney hangs up abruptly. Danny slams the phone on the\nhook, gives it TME FINGER, and looks at his friends.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Let's go.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. CAMMERON'S HOUSE PARTY - NIGHT\n</b>\nA TRUCK sits across the street.\n\n<b>INT. TRUCK - DEREK AND SETH\n</b>\nThey sit in the car as a band JAMS from Cam's house.\nShiftless Seth throws on a black CRO-MAG t-shirt and\ntosses his work shirt in the back. He wolfs down a\nburger as Derek rolls his foot on a basketball on the\nfloor.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You're an idiot if you ask me.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm not asking you.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What if he writes something stupid and\nthat nigger turns you in? Jesus. He\ndidn't testify, Der. They can use\nthat shit and re-try you.\n\nDerek takes a long stare at Seth, who devourshis burger.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Sweeney's not gonna do anything, Seth.\nHe helped get me released.\n\nSeth is a pathetic vision to Derek. Derek stares at him\nfor several moments.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm out, Seth.\n\nSeth wipes his mouth and casually meets eyes with Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm only going to tell you this once\nso pay attention. I'm done, Seth. I\ndon't want you to come near me...near\nDan...I want you to leave my family\nalone.\n\nSeth stares and laughs at Derek.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You're serious.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm dead fucking serious. No more\nphone calls, no more visits, no more\nnothing.\n\nSeth doesn't know what to say.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We don't exist as far as you're\nconcerned, Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I can't believe I'm hearing this shit\ncome out of your mouth.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Believe it, Seth. Believe it. I\nspent over three years away from my\nfamily. My family, Seth. For what?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>For your country, fuckhole, that's\nwhat. I'd do a hundred years before I\nfelt like that.\n\nSeth gets out, slams the door, and walks to the party.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> You're a motherfucking traitor!\n\nDerek stares out the window and sighs.\n\n<b>EXT. STREET - DEREK'S POV\n</b>\nHe watches the house. Suddenly, Danny, Chris and Jason\nskate up to the residence and follow Seth inside.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the--? Shit.\n\n<b>INT. CAMMERON'S HOUSE - THE FRONT DOOR\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nDICK NIXON plays a punk version of WHITE CHRISTMAS as\nskins slam dance.\n\n<b>EXT. CAMMERON'S BACK PATIO - A SKINHEAD\n</b>\nHis face is tattooed with crow's feet and prison ink.\nCASSANDRA, a frail, older, English woman with green hair\nand multiple piercings, approaches JASON at the keg.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>You're full of shit!\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>If he ain't here, he's comin'.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - MORE SLAMMING\n</b>\nChris, Danny and Jason pound beer and huck DARTS at a\npicture of O.J. SIMPSON. Seth violently slams past the\nkids. Derek walks in.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Yo! What's up, Fat Seth!?\n\nSeth throws Chris against the wall.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'm not fat, cockwart! I'm husky!\n\n<b> CMRIS\n</b>Okay! I'm sorry, bro!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Take it easy, dude!\n\nSeth then grabs Danny hard by the shirt. Chris and Jason\nstare at him like he's gonna hurt him.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What're you doin'?!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Your brother's a piece of shit!\n\nSeth sees Derek enter and he releases Danny. Seth mixes\ninto the party and SLAM DANCES into ten other skins.\nDanny follows Seth towards the keg.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He analyzes the crowd. Quickly, Chris\nrecognizes him.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Holy shit. Father Vinyard!?\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Son of a bitch.\n\nDerek looks at the two kids.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>I'm Jason and that's Chris! We're\nfriends with your brother!\n\nThey stick out their hands but Derek prefers to check the\nscene.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>You're a fuckin' god, man!\n\n<b>JASON\n</b>\nNo shit!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Do me a favor. Grab Danny and get\noutta here!\n\nThe two boys look at each other and LAUGH.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>We just got here, man!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You what!?\n\nChris looks at Derek like he's dead.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You don't have any homework?!\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>School doesn't exist anymore, Father.\n\nDerek stares at him, not really knowing what to do.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>I wrote you. Two letters while you\nwere in there! Did you get them?!\n\nDerek ignores them and weaves his way through the crowd,\ncausing many an individual to double-take. Chris and\nJason look on in wonderment.\n\n<b>EXT. LARGE, OPEN SHED AREA - A CROWD\n</b>\nTIGHT ON CAMMERON ALEXANDEr. The older, white trash skin\nfuriously bangs his sticks on the drums to the song.\nCam's hair is still long but now he's got a swastika\nbetween his eyebrows like CHARLES MANSON. He wears TROY\nAIKMAN'S DALLAS JERSEY and a BLACK COWBOY HAT.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He pans right to check out the crowd. A\nman pisses out the window. Then to a distinct woman.\n\nIT'S STACEY. Her head is now completely SHAVED but she's\nstill gorgeous as ever. Derek indulges her for a few\nmoments until he turns and walks away. He bumps into a\ngirl and knocks her drink.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>Excuse fuckin' me!\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nSorry.\n\nShe smiles at Derek as the SONG comes to a close.\n\n<b>CASSANDRA\n</b>\nDerek?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Cassandra.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>Oh my God! They said you might be\nhere but I didn't fucking believe 'em!\n\nCURTIS, the M-16 on the side of his head perfectly\nintact, walks by Derek. He walks past Derek with his\nyoung son on his shoulders.\n\n<b> CURTIS\n</b>I hope what I heard ain't true, man.\nYou better hightail it the fuck outta\nhere if it is.\n\nAfter a moment, Derek looks away and Curtis heads off.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>You gotta chop that mop, Der!\n\nCassandra lights a brown menthol cigarette.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b> (exhaling)\nStacey's meandering around here\nsomewhere! Have you seen the bitch?!\n\nDerek shakes his head.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>The only person I've seen is Seth.\n\n<b>CASSANDRA\n</b>Oh God. I'm sorry.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He sees Cameron puts his arm around her\nand kiss her. Cameron sticks his hand down the back of\nher pants, smiles, pulls it out, and licks his finger.\n\nDerek watches as Danny delivers a beer to Cammeron. Ca\nputs his arm around Dan and they go into the bedroom.\nStacey looks at Derek and follows them.\n\n<b> LIZZY (0. S. )\n</b>Are you going in there?\n\nDerek looks down to see Lizzy and Kammi.\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>Can you tell Danny that Lizzy's\nlooking for him?\n\nDerek can only stare at the girl's youth.\n\n<b>INT. LARGE BEDROOM/OFFICE - A SHRINE TO HITLER\n</b>\nDEREM'S PoV. He stands in the doorwell and listens.\nWhite Power paraphernalia cover the walls. Articles,\nposters, everything. The room has a bed, a couch, a\nglass coffee table and a desk with a computer on it.\nOrganized stacks of papers, pamphlets and magazines are\nstrewn throughout the floor. Cameron sips a beer and\ntalks with Dan. Stacey listens in the background.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>He won't do anything'drastic I hope.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I gotta do that paper though.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I thought you already turned that\nfucker in?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>My teacher cried to Sweeney, man.\nhave to do another one.\n\nCammeron laughs.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Oh man. Fucking Sweeney.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b> (chiming in)\nMeanwhile, niggers and spics do their\nreports on Malcolm X and fucking Fidel\nCastro.\n\nCameron laughs again but then becomes quickly serious.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Sweeney's got an agenda, Danny. And\nit's all a load of crap. You hear me?\nHe's all about brainwashing. Don't\nget fucking fooled by it.\n\n<b> DEREK (O.S.)\n</b>What the hell are you doing here, Dan?\n\nThey all look over.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (smiling)\nHey. I was wondering when he was\ngoing to show his face.\n\nDerek doesn't lift his eyes from Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What did I tell you, Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I had to check it out, Der. Come on.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> He'll be all right, Derek.\n\nDerek shoots Cameron a look and tries another way.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> There's a redhead out there looking\n for you. Go talk to her.\n\nDanny gets up and walks out. Cam looks to Stacey.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> You go with.\n\nDerek seizes his brother with the eyes as he exits. Then\nStacey.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Welcome back.\n\nHe just closes the door on her. Cammeron looks for his\ncigarettes.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You made it, man. When I heard they\nthrew you in General Population I\nthought it was curtains.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It wasn't too bad.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>So what's all this self-righteous,\nborn-again shit I'm hearing then?\n\nDerek doesn't blink. Cameron smiles and points to a\nchair.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Have a seat, Derek. Relax.\n\nTIGHT ON CAMMERON. He sparks up a cigi to break Derek's\nuncomfortable stare.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>How was it in there with all those\nfuckin' monkeys, man? You're lucky\nthey didn't kill you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I agree.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Who runs the place? The monkeys or\nthe wetbacks?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>The Mexicans.\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>It's a fuckin' vacation for them in\nthere, hunh?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They were really organized. I'll tell\nya...it was impressive. They--\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE BATHROOM - DANNY AND LIZZY\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nThe two make out. She sits on the sink and wraps her\nlegs around him. They stop and smile at each other.\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>I like you.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I like you, too.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. CAMMERON BEDROOM - SAME\n</b>\nDerek and Cam converse over the coffee table.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>They're fuckin' peasants, Derek. All\nof them.\n (then)\nSo what's up, man? I'm hearing a lot\nof shit about you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Be careful with me, Cam. You don't\nknow what's going on with me.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Fuckin' talk to me then. We're family\nhere. Let's work it out whatever it\nis.\n<b> \n</b><b> DEREK\n</b>I'm family, Cam? Is that why you came\nto see me all the time up there?\n\nCameron smiles but doesn't know what to say.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I had to distance myself from you\nafter that.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck you, Cameron. You're a fucking\nchicken hawk...praying on kids.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I don't pray on fucking anyone.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>No. You fucking use them. To filter\nyour insanity.\n\nCameron smiles in disbelief.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You and Danny are like brothers to me,\nDerek. Come on, man.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>He's not your brother, Cameron. All\nright? He's my brother.\n (after a beat)\nYou hear me, Cam?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (exploding)\nFuck you, Derek! Fuck you! Don't\nthink you can threaten me with this\nshit for a fuckin' second! I'm more\nimportant to him now then you ever\nwere.\n\nDerek EXPLODES. With his feet, he pushes the GLASS\nCOFFEE TABLE hard into Cammeron's knees. Cam screams in\nagony. Derek SLUGS him in the face and Cam RETALIATES\nwith two of his own. They wrestle around the room and\npush their way into the BATHROOM.\n\n<b>INT. TINY BATHROOM - DEREK AND CAM\n</b>\nDerek takes Cam by his long hair and SMASHES his face\ninto the mirror. IT SHATTERS. Derek follows with a\nsolid punch to the kidney.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You gonna listen?!\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I'm gonna fuckin' kill you.\n\nDerek bangs Cam's face against the mirror ONCE MORE.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Shut the fuck up! You're gonna stay\naway! That's what you're gonna do!\n\nDerek rinses Cam's bloody face off by PLUNGING it into\nthe toilet. He pulls him back up and they face the\nmirror.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It's over.\n\nDerek stares at him in silence. CAMMERON RETALIATES. He\nforcefully backs Derek into the wall behind him. He\nthrows two punches at Derek -- one in the stomach and one\nto the face that opens his lip. He misses on his third\nand Derek gets the upper hand.\n\nBACK TO THE MIRROR. Derek prepares to crash Cam's face\ninto the shards of glass one last time. The final blow.\nAs Cam screams, Derek launches him forward then pulls\nback at the very last moment. Derek, noticing Cam's\ncondition, throws him into the tub.\n\nDerek throws him a towel, grabs one for his lip, and\nexits.\n\n<b>EXT. SHED AREA - A GROUP OF 20 NAZI'S\n</b>\nThey SALUTE the band and chant as they tune up for\nanother set. The singer inquires about his DRUMMER.\nDerek pushes his way through and spills a few beers cn\nthe way. Cassandra smokes a cigarette with a few random\nskins as Derek passes by.\n\n<b> RANDOM SKIN\n</b>Hey Derek!?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>What?!\n\n<b>CASSANDRA\n</b>(exhaling)\nJesus, Der. What happened?\n\n<b>CURTIS\n</b>(psychotically)\nWhere's Cammeron, man?!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I haven't seen him.\n\nCassandra looks at him curiously and then focuses her\nattention to the bedroom.\n\n<b>STACEY (O/S)\n</b>\nHey!\n\nDerek turns around and faces her.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (pointing his finger)\nStay away from me.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Don't point your fucking finger at me.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm serious, Stacey! Stay away!\n\nShe grabs and pulls on his shirt.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>What are you gonna do?! Hunh?! Hit\nme?! Kick me as I roll on the fuckin'\nground screaming?!\n (then)\nThat bullshit with Cammeron is\nnothing, Derek!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I don't care.\n\nStacey looks deep into his eyes and can feel it.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Goddamn you, Derek! Those two niggers\ndeserved what they got. They deserved\nto die! And just like Cameron and\nSeth and a million others out\nthere...I'll believe that 'til the day\nI fucking die. I will. Nothing will\never change that either.\n\nDerek breaks from her grasp and walks away.\n\n<b>EXT. PATIO - DEREM'E POV\n</b>\nHe looks over to the kegs. Through the sliding glass\nwindow, he sees Seth taking a \"tap hit\" off the keg. All\nthe guys in the b.g., INCLUDING DANNY, count and cheer.\nSeth sucks the tap while skins count in the background.\nDerek walks out and watches Dan pump the keg.\n\n<b> ET AL\n</b>Forty-five! Forty-six! Forty-\nseven...!\n\nSeth removes his mouth from the tap and belches like a\npig. All the guys laugh.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (grabbing Danny)\nWhy the fuck did you pump it?! I\ncoulda gone for a minute at least!\n\nDanny looks over and meets eyes with a bloody Derek. He\nFREEZES while everyone turns to look Derek over.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Let him go, Seth.\n\nSeth sees blood on Derek's face and shirt and takes a\nmoment to identify the source. He draws his 9mm Baretta\nand points it at Derek's head from four feet away.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Where's Cameron?\n\nDerek stares directly into the BARREL.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(frightened)\nSeth, man!? Come on!\n\nSeth puts the gun directly to Derek's cool head.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'd be doing America a great fucking\nfavor, let me tell you.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Do it, Seth.\n\nSeth glances at her and Derek quickly GRABS the pistol.\nA shot goes off and people hit the deck. Derek wrestles\nthe pistol away and punches Seth in the STOMACH. Falling\nto the ground in pain, Derek cracks him in the face once\nmore and it's over.\n\n<b>INT. CAM'S BATHROOM - CASSANDRA AND CURTIS\n</b>\nThey walk in and look at Cammeron, bleeding in the tub.\nCurtis pulls the METAL TOWEL HOLDER off the wall and\nstorms after Derek. Cassandra laughs.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>You got fuckin' guests out there, Cam.\n\n<b>EXT. PATIO - SAME\n</b>\nDerek tosses the gun over the fence and looks to Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come with me right now.\n\nHe looks at his brother. He then sees Curtis and three\nother skins come through the house. Derek stares at Dan\nand hauls ass down the back alley.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Curtis arrives and tends to Seth rather\nthan go after Derek. Confused and mildly embarrassed,\nDanny bolts back into the house to get his board.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BLVD. - SLEEPING HOMELESS\n</b>\nDanny passes them on his board as he conguers the cracks\nin the street at an incredible rate. He turns the tight\ncorner and cuts off a turning car. The man yells.\n\nDanny spots his brother walking twenty yards up on the\nleft-hand side of the street and crosses. Approaching\nquickly, he skates faster and faster as Derek nears a BUS\nSTOP BENCH. Hearing the board, Derek turns to face the\nclickity clack behind him.\n\nDANNY LUNGES FROM HIS BOARD AND TACKLES DEREE. The two\ncrash into the street as a car henks from the inside\nlane, barely missing the duo. Danny punches his brozher\nin the face.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fucking asshole!\n\nDerek gets on top of his brother, spots a speeding car\nheading right for him, and pulls his brother to the\nsidewalk. Just in time.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the luck are you thinking!?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What are you thinking!? Friends don't\nfight friends, Der! They stick\ntogether!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They're not friends, Dan!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What the hell are they then?!\n\nDerek picks his brother up and sits him on a BUS STOP\n<b>BENCH.\n</b>\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Just sit there and relax for a second.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I don't wanna relax! You looked like\nan idiot back there!\n\nDerek stares and sits next to him. Cars and homeless\nrandomly pass in the b.g. Danny looks at his brother,\ntransfixed in thought.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What's happened to you, Derek?\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He looks into his brother's eyes.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO BLACKNESS:\n</b>\n<b>INT./EXT. CHINO PRISON - ESTABLISHING SHOTS\n</b>\n<b>FILING OUT OF THE CELL.\n</b>\nThe morning drill. His roommate, an old Latino guy,\nright behind. Derek's eyes cast among the inmates,\nnoting everyone and looking for a friendly face. He\nnotes a familiar tattoo, catches the guy's eye and nods.\n\n<b>WALKING THROUGH THE CAFETERIA.\n</b>\nDerek with his tray. A sea of tables divided by race. He\nspots a tiny island of white guys at a distant table. He\nlooks at STEVIE THE LEADER, but gets a nod from the HUGE\nARYAN next to him. Derek moves to sit with them.\n\n<b>A WIDE SHOT OF THE YARD.\n</b>\nFrom a distance, he approaches the Aryan corner. They\ncasually greet each other. Derek then looks over to the\nHUGE ARYAN from the cafeteria and to STEVIE MCCORMICK,\nthe crazy looking leader. Derek walks over and shakes\ntheir hands.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON LAUNDRY ROOM - MORNING\n</b>\nDerek quietly folds towels with a young, chattering black\nman.\n\n<b> YOUNG MAN\n</b>You got lucky, man. I was in the\nkitchen for a year before making it in\nhere. Pots and motherfucking pans...\ndisgusting beef stroganoff shit...\nboiling hot water...fuck that!\n (looking over)\nMy name's Lamont, man.\n\nDerek doesn't even look at LAMONT. Stone cold, he\ncontinues folding.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>I got your back. Righteous white\nCracker with attitude. Just like the\nJudge who sentenced me, man.\n\nLamont laughs but then becomes serious.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>If your smart though you'll remember\none thing. You're the nigger in here.\nNot me.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. PRISON YARD - DAY\n</b>\nDEREK'S POV. He sees Stevie McCormick conferring with a\nMexican gang leader. The Mexican hands Stevie a joint\nthrough a handshake.\n\nDerek turns and talks to two white guys who seem\nimpressed. Stevie walks up and takes a hit off his\njoint.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>I was just talking about you. You're\nCammeron's boy?\n\nDerek turns and stares at him.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>His boy? No, I don't think so, man.\nI'm not anybody's boy.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Well...you know what I mean.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Nooo, I don't know what you mean.\n\nDerek and Stevie lock eyes. Stevie sneaks a hit and\noffers Derek.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Here, man. Relax and have a hit.\n\nDerek stares at him.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Nooo...how about you getting that\nfucking shit awax from me?\n\nStevie looks at him, ready to kill. The other two can't\nbelieve Derek's gall. Stevie shrugs.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>You got a problem, man?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Excuse me? Do I have a problem? No,\nI don't have a problem. Do you have a\nproblem?\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>No. I don't.\n\nStevie stares at Derek and walks off. He turns back\nagain and he and Derek lock eyes. He walks back to his\ngroup.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Who the fuck are you?\n\nDerek turns back to the other two and they are already\nwalking away. Derek looks at the two and back to Stevie.\nStevie sits with HUGE ARYAN and says something to him.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON LAUNDRY ROOM - EARLY MORNING\n</b>Lamont in mid-conversation.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>But I won't go down on that shit. No\nway, no how. You ever been with a\nsoul sister?\n\nDerek looks over and meets his eyes.\nLamont sees this and laughs.\n\nJust for a second.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b> Oh shit! Sorry, man! Forgot who the\n luck I was talking to there for a\n second.\n (after a beat)\n Let me ask you this one though cause I\n don't know the white man's take. You\n like eating pussy?\n\nDerek can't help but smile.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>Oh man! You sick fucking bastard!\nYou sick pig!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>And you don't!? Shut up.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>Man...you don't know shit about the\nbrothers. We won't go down on that\nshit if the bitch was holding a gun to\nour fucking head.\n\nDerek laughs and the two continue to converse.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. PRISON QUAD - DAY\n</b>\nA group of White Aryans are gathered in the yard. Derek\nplays basketball with a mixed assemblage, including\nLamont. Derek continues to look over every now and then\nat Stevie and his group. Stevie suddenly smiles towards\nDerek.\n\nNot understanding what it's all about, Derek turns\n'around. Standing there is HUGE ARYAN and his STOCKY\n FRIEND.. They proceed to beat the shit out of Derek right\n in the middle of the court. The players circle as Derek\n rolls on the ground. He gets bombarded with kicks and\n punches, a few even coming from randoms on the court.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - MORNING\n</b>\nA beat-up Derek quietly folds. Lamont stays quiet. He\nglances over but knows Derek isn't in the mood.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. CAFETERIA - AFTERNOON LUNCH\n</b>\nDerek looks over to the white table and they something\namongst themselves. They break into laughter. Derek\nthinks about eating somewhere else, but there's nowhere\nto go. He walks BACK over to the white table and looks\nat STEVIE.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>How's your face, man?\n\nEveryone laughs. Derek sits and eats, his tail between\nhis legs.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>That'll teach you. Don't be a prick\nto your superiors.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. NARROW PRISON CORRIDOR - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\nStevie walks by himself and smokes a cigarette. He turns\na corner and standing there waiting for him is DEREK.\nDerek stares him down.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>What do you want?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm right here, man. You wanna have\nit out with me, let's go. Just me and\nyou though.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Man...you are a stupid motherfucker.\nYou know that? When are you--?\n\nDerek cracks him in the face and Stevie falls to the\nground.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Stupid?! You have anything else to\nsay, you little pussy! Hunh?!\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Fuck you!\n\nDerek kicks the man a few more times and takes off. A\nfew black prisoners laugh at Stevie from the PING PONG\n<b>TABLE.\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON SHOWER - MORNING\n</b>\nDerek puts his head down under the warm water and closes\nhis eyes. From out of nowhere, he is slammed out of\nframe to the floor. HUGE ARYAN'and his STOCKY BUDDY from\nearlier proceed to beat him. Bathers leave and after a\nfew moments, Stevie's boys drop their TOWELS.\n\n<b> HUGE ARYAN\n</b>Well well well. A virgin.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. SHOWER - LATER\n</b>\nDerek lies on the tile floor, bloody and beaten.\n\n<b> HUGE ARYAN\n</b>You ain't so tough now, are you?\n\nThe two men smile at each other, kick him and exit.\nAfter a few seconds, LAMONT enters with the cart and\npicks up dirty towels. He spots Derek laying on the\ntile.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>Motherfucker. What now, man?\n\nHe tends to Derek. He picks him up, throws him over his\nshoulder, and carries him off.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b> Shit, holmes.\n (carrying him)\n Hang on to me, man. You're heavy.\n\n<b>INT. PRISON INFIRMARY - EVENING\n</b>\nDerek lies on a table, silent. A Mexican DOCTOR examines\nhis ass.\n\n<b> DOCTOR\n</b>Well, you do have some tearing down\nhere. Christ. Okay. I'm gonna have\nto stitch you up so I'll be back. \n\nThe doctor passes Dr. Sweeney on his way out. Derek hears\nSweeney talk to the doctor and turns his head. The two\nlook at each other for a long moment. Sweeney sits down\nnext to him and puts his hand on Derek's shoulder. Derek\nfinally breaks down and sobs.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. HOSPITAL - LATE NIGHT\n</b>\nSweeney and Derek in mid-conversation. A small lamp\nshines off their faces.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Honor and loyalty run thick, Derek.\nNot skin color. Skin is thin. I\ndon't get you, man. I don't.\n (after a beat)\nI got my Doctorate in Education...not\nin medicine. But if you think babies\ncome into this world evil...you're\nfucked up, Derek. You're way to smart\nto believe that shit.\n (then)\nThere's nothin' more beautiful Derek,\nnothin' more pure, nothin' more\ninnocent...than a baby.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They killed my father, Sweeney.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Jesus Derek. Use that brain God gave\nyou for chrissake. What are you gonna\ndo? Seek revenge your whole life and\nbecome a lifer in here. That's what\nthese guys are like, you wanna be like\nthem? Fucking little boys in prison?\nThink, man. None of your guys back\nhome give a shit about you.\n (after a beat)\nThey only care about your brother.\nThe new blood. And he sure as hell\ncan't take care of himself like you\ncould.\n\nDerek looks at the man with regret.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Get me outta here, Sweeney.\n\nSweeney looks at the young man, heavily weighing his\noptions. The two lock eyes.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. PRISON QUAD - DAY\n</b>\nDerek reads by himself on the cement stairs by himself.\nA shadow approaches from behind.\n\n<b> VOICE\n</b>How you doin', man?\n\nDerek turns his head and sees LAMONT standing there.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>All right.\n (after a beat)\nHow are you?\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>I'm fucking incarcerated, man. With a\nbunch of faggots. How you think I'm\ndoin'?\n\nDerek looks at the young man and can't help but laugh.\nDerek slowly gets up and limps past Lamont.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>What are you gonna do, man?\n\nDerek looks at him for a few moments, still shaken.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm not going to do anything.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON VISITING ROOM\n</b>\nHe looks through the window at his mother. Together they\npick up the phone.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He can feel her pain more than he can\nfeel his own. He forces a smile.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nHey Mom.\n\n<b>DORIS\n</b>\nHello.\n\nThe two sit there and stare at each other for a few\nmoments.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Dr. Sweeney called me. He spoke with\na guy on the parole board here.\n (then)\nHe thinks you might be getting out\nsoon.\n\nDerek nods and stares at his mother, broken.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How are the others?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Davina's good. UCLA Math major.\n (frustrated)\nAll three of you have always been so\ngreat in school. I wonder why all\nthis--\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What about Dan, Mom? How's he?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He's doing the same stuff you were\ndoing, Derek. Hanging out with\nCammeron, getting into trouble. It\nbrings back a lot of sad memories.\nAnd I can't do anything...he won't\nlisten to me. He needs you.\n\nDerek stares at his mother like it's the last thing he\nwanted to hear.\n<b> \n</b>\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON CHECK-OUT - DAY\n</b>\nDerek gives back his prison garb. LAMONT APPEARS.\nThrough the partition we see Derek say goodbye to Lamont:\nand walk out to his awaiting family.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE BACK TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. STREET - NIGHT - PRESENT\n</b>\nDanny tearfully stares at his brother, speechless.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (after a long beat)\nYou're my best friend, Danny. You're\nmy only friend. And I just want\nwhat's best for you.\n\nThe two rub heads as DEREK puts his arm around him.\nDanny squeezes back and Derek kisses him on the top of\nthe head.\n\n<b> CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - THE COPS\n</b>\nDanny skates up to the front gate and looks at them.\n\n<b> COP #1\n</b>How the hell...?\n\nDerek slaps the roof on the passenger side and scares the\nhell out of the officers.\n\n<b> COP #2\n</b>Son of a bitch.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Pretty shitty assignment you got.\n\n<b> COP #1\n</b>Out of respect for your father.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Oh yeah? What the hell do you know-\nabout my father?\n\nThe two men sit there speechless as Derek walks over to\nan awaiting Danny.\n\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A SLEEPING DORIS\n</b>\nShe snores on the couch. The clock on the wall reads\neleven as the boys ENTER. Danny goes to his room whale\nDerek heads for the girls in the living room. He genzly\nshakes Davina.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Hey. Wake up.\n\nShe looks at him, delirious.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>\nWhat?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Time for bed.\n\n<b>INT. OPEN BEDROOM - DEREK'S POV\n</b>\nDan types at the computer as Derek escorts Davina and\nDoris to bed.\n\n<b>INT. DAVINA BEDROOM - SAME\n</b>\nDavina plops herself down and falls asleep instantly.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Goodnight.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Goodnight, Mom.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - LATE NIGHT\n</b>\nDerek stares at himself in the mirror. A million\nthoughts race through his head as computer keys echo in\nthe b.g. He looks at all of his tattoos and SCARS.\n\nTIGHT ON HIS UPPER BODY. He stares at the SWASTIKA on\nhis tit. He puts his hand over the tattoo to see what\nhe looks like without it. He turns on the shower and\ngets inside.\n\n<b>129 INT. SHOWER - TIGHT ON DEREE\n</b>\nAs he soaps himself down, the soap slips out of his hand\nand sits on.the bottom of the tub. He looks at it a long\ntime before he bends over to pick it up. He immerses his\nface into the shower faucet and thinks to himself.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY\n</b>\nHe sits back down at the computer and looks back at his\nbrother as he dries off. Danny thinks to himself and\ntypes a sentence.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>There was only one person who loved\nDerek more than me.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - MORNING - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nThe place is immaculate. DENNIS VINYARD, the father of\nthe household, eats his breakfast in his LA COUNTY\nFIREFIGHTER UNIFORM. Vintage fireman material:\nmuscular, receding hairline, zero facial hair. Handsome.\nA pretty and well-dressed Doris SINGS while she scrambles\neight eggs with mushrooms and peppers.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>That was Dad. They were best friendS.\nFathers and sons are never best\nfriends...but they were..\n\nYOUNGER DANNY stares at his larger-than-life father with\na cap turned backwards. Doris breaks from song and yells\nto the back.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Breakfast!\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Okay! Let's go, Davina! Derek!\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>So what's this all about, Dennis?\n\nDennis doesn't hear because his attention is on Danny.\nYOUNGER DEREK, donning a flat-top haircut and no tattoos,\nwalks into the kitchen. The smiling athlete has his\nbackpack and blue VENICE HIGH gym bag. He drops it all\nonto the ground and sits at the table.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Good morning.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Good morning.\n\nDoris sets food in front of her two sons and they both go\nto work. Young Danny eats quietly.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>What about this gang stuff?\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Jesus Doris...it's not that big of a\ndeal. All departments have to take a\nprecaution class on gang patrol today.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What for?\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>A guy was shot yesterday in\nInglewood...changin' a valve on a\nhydrant. LAPD is worried that more\nfirefighters will become targets.\nThat's what this bullshit is about.\n (sipping his coffee)\nA good father this guy was though and\nnow he's in intensive care because of\nsome goddamn--! They've pretty much\ndeclared war on LAPD and us.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Why you guys though? I can see them\nbut the fire department?\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>They think we would rather let a\nbuilding burn down over there than\nfight it. So now we got two fights\ngoin' on at one goddamn time.\n\nDennis takes a bite of his eggs and explodes.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (to the bedroom)\nDayins! Get in here!\n\n<b> DAVINA (O.S.)\n</b>I'm coming right now! Jesus!\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>I'll tell you one more thing. This\n\"affirmative blaction\" shit is driving\nme up the fucking wall. Firefighters\ngettin' 99's on their tests while\nrappers who score a goddamn 62 walk\naway with the job.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Don't we have to have \"affirmative\naction?\"\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Not when a job requires ability. No.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>A lot of people say otherwise, Danny.\nIncluding me.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>A lot of people don't know shit,\neither.\n\nDoris just stares at the back of her husband's head like\nshe wants to smack it. He turns back and disarms her\nwith a look.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>If I'm fightin' a brush fire...\nsurrounded by thousand degree\nflames...who would I want watchin' my\nback? A guy who scores a 99 or a guy\nwho scores a sixty?\n (then)\nYou don't see half the NBA with\nwhites, gooks and spics.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Nooo...what you don't see are\nminorities on the boards of Fortune\n500 companies cause whites won't stand\nfor it.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Doris! I'm tired of your damn\nargument! You sound like an idiot!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Sweeney actually had a pretty good\ntake on affirmative action the other\nday.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (smiling)\nReally? I didn't know you spoke\n\"African\", Derek? Where'd you learn\nthat shit? Johannesberg?\n\nDennis laughs and Derek eventually smiles. Danny looks\nat them, not really understanding. Doris stares down\nDennis.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Honey? Please don't speak that way.\nThey don't--\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>How am I speaking, Doris!? Hunh?!\nI'm speakin' fineP\n (quickly to Derek)\nHey. Don't let that him confuse you\nover there, Derek. Look at me. This\nshit he's pulling is a load of crap.\nHey. Look at me, Derek. I mean it.\nIf we keep givin' niggers everything,\nthere'll be nothing left for us.\n\nDerek and Danny stare at their father, not knowing how to\nreact.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You can be a stupid son of a bitch\nsometimes.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>And then we have naive fools like her.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I really hate you with a passion some\ntimes.\n\nAn upset Doris exits the room past YOUNG DAVINA. Dennis\nlooks to Derek.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>You know what I mean though, right?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(nodding)\n\nYeah.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (to the family)\nGood morning.\n\nShe sits.\n\nHer lips glare excessively this morning.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Well...good morning, Miss Monroe!\n (smiling)\nLook at you. You look like a star.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I like that color, Davina.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>Thanks\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>You did like it.\n\nDennis reaches over and wipes it off with his napkin.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (whining)\n Come on, Dad.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Yeah. Well you're lucky I'm letting\nyou wear that crap on your eyes. I\nlove you but you're too young.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>That sucks, man.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>It totally sucks. And we all\nsympathize with you, too.\n\nEveryone laughs but Dan, still shaken over his mother.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (Shifting to Danny)\nYou got practice today?\n\nDanny shakes his head no.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Coach's sick.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>You wanna go to Der's game with me?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>\nSure.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (quickly to Derek}\nSanta Monica High tonight, right?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nYep.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Perfect.\n (to Danny)\nBen'll whip us up a couple of double\ndeckers and we'll head over.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(smiling)\n\nOkay.\n\nDennis smiles, reaches over with a fatherly hand, and\nmesses up his hair.\n\n<b>BACK QUICKLY TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY - PRESENT\n</b>\nHe stops typing and almost cries. He leans back in his\nchair and and stares himself in the side mirror. He\nfeels his bald head, almost exploring.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. BEN'S BURGER SHOP - LATE NIGHT\n</b>\nA white homeless man in an ARMY JACKET sits outside\nbegging for change. Seth and Cameron, both beat-up,\ndrunk and bloody, stare at the man.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Spare change for a cheeseburger?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Get a job and buy one why don't you.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>God bless you.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Fuck you.\n\nSeth stumbles into the shop. Cam stares at the homeless\nman, psychotically.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Fifty cents is all I ask.\nVietnam, man.\n\nI was in\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Really? So you've had what? Thirty\nyears to get your shit together?\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>All I want is something to eat.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>There are plenty of fuckin'\ndishwashing jobs out there, Vietnam\nboy. Go get yourself one.\n\nIn the background, BEN THE OWNER and Seth shake hands.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Did I do something?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You're a disgrace to the white race.\nIf Adolf Hitler was alive...God bless\nhis soul...he would have you shot.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Fuck you then. Now and forever. Fuck\nyou.\n\nCameron knees the weaker man square in the face. The\nman slopes down to his side, unconscious. As an\nafterthought, Cameron kicks him several more times.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Noooo. Fuck you.\n\nQUICKLY TO ACROSS THE STREET. Little Henry and two of\nhis friends watch Cammeron's brutality from their bikes.\nThey turn in the opposite direction and hurry off.\n\n<b>INT. BURGER SHOP - CAMHERON AND SETH\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nSeth eats a burger and chili fries at the same time.\nCameron smokes across from him and watches Seth eat like\na pig. He takes a look at the homeless man outside who\nstill lays motionless. Cam feels his BANDAGED FACE.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I think I need to go to the hospital.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Seriously?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I don't know. I think so.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Where's Stacey?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Who gives a fuck?\n\nSeth takes a bite and chews.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Derek's a fuckin' traitor pussy.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Well...we might be pussies too if we\ngot treated the way he did.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What do you mean?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Stevie McCormick called...old school\nVenice bro. He's at Chino...doin'\nlife. He hated Derek.\n (exhaling)\nSaid he was a fucking blow-up doll in\nthere.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (overwhelmed)\nFucking A.\n\nSeth continues to eat. Cammeron looks out the window and\nhates what he sees.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Oh Christ. You gotta be kidding me?\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>\nWhat?\n\nCAMMERON'S POV. A large, mature and sharp-looking BLACK\nMAN helps A BEAUTIFUL BLOND out of a RED BMW. THEY KISS.\nCammeron is at a loss for words. Cam puts out his\ncigarette as the couple ENTERS.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (looking at the two)\nIs there anything sacred in this\ncountry anymore? Jesus Christ. Hey.\nStop feeding your face for a second\nand look behind you.\n\nSeth turns his head and stares at the interracial couple.\nHe turns back to Cam and sings a verse from the famous\natevie Wonder song, EBONY AND IVORY. Cameron laughs.\nThe black man turns and looks at the two.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Can we help you with something? Do\nyou have any questions about the menu?\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>No questions.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I recommend either the \"Big Ben\nBurger\" or the \"Chicken Taco Special.\"\nBen'll replace the dark meat with the\nwhite meat if you ask nicely.\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b> (fed up)\nWhat's your problem, pal?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I ain't your fucking pal first of all.\nSecondly...I don't have problems.\nPeople who luck with me have problems.\n\n<b> WHITE GIRL\n</b>Come on. Let's get out of here.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Hey! What a great idea! You got a\nclever little whatever it is there.\nI'd listen to it if I were you.\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>You're not me.\n\n<b> CAMHERON\n</b> (smiling)\nAnd I thank God Almighty every day for\nthat, believe me.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Excuse me? Tyrone?\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>My name's not Tyrone either.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>Whatever. Why can't you stick to your\nown race?\n\n<b> WHITE GIRL\n</b> (disgusted)\nJesus Christ! Where do you assholes\ncome from?!\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>What the luck difference does it make\nwhere we come from, bitch? I'm from a\nplace called America. A place that\nused to be a nice place to live before\nit became fuckin' Africa-America.\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>You ignorant mother--\n\nSeth quickly gets out of his chair and makes his gun\ntotally visible to the couple.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You got a fuckin' death wish, asshole?\nDo you? Make your move now if you do.\nIf you don't...get the luck out of my\nsight. Cause I'm real close to\nshoving my piece up your girlfriend's\nstinky pussy.\n\nThe black man stares at the gun sticking out of Seth's\nbelly. He grabs his girlfriend and walks out of the\njoint. Seth sits back down and the two laugh. Cameron\nlooks over at Ben and raises his hands in the air.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (smiling)\nEverything's hunky dory, Ben! No\nproblemo. Only us white folk.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - A DIGITAL CLOCK\n</b>\nIt reads 2:36 a.m. Shiftless Derek lifts a sleeping\nDanny off the computer keyboard. He helps him into the\nbottom bunk, tucks him in, and watches him snooze.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (softly)\nDid you \"save\" it?\n\nAn asleep Danny nods. Derek slowly walks back into the\nbathroom to grab his towel off the floor. He looks at\nhis SWASTIKA TAT in the mirror and sighs to himself. He\nturns off the light and exits.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BURGER JOINT - SETH AND CAMMERON\n</b>\nSeth finishes his display of gluttony.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>It wouldn't irritate me so much if the\nratio was a little more even.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What's that?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (going mad)\nEbony and Ivory back there! Almost\nall of those orange kid relationships\nare black man and white women and I'm\nfucking sick of seein' it! I wouldn't\nmind so much if it were more even.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Huge dicks, Cam. That's all it is.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I used to think that too but...it's\ngotta be more, man. It has to be more\nthan the fact they they carry a big\nload. Chicks aren't that shallow, are\nthey? It's politically correct...\nthat's what it is. White\nwomen...bein' seen with the\ncoloreds...it's great for their image.\nBitches today want to be known as\nbein' fuckin' color blind.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>They get off on it.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>And you can't really blame Tyrone.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Why the fuck not?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Well...how'd you like to drag around\nsome fat fly girl? I wouldn't.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>No shit.\n (imitating)\nOh go girlfriend! Don't be puttin' up\nwid dat, girl! Oh stop girl!\n\nSeth and Cammeron laugh and head outside--leaving a mess\non the table.\n\n<b>EXT. ACROSS THE STREET - THE CHEROKEE FROM EARLIER\n</b>\nThe white vehicle gets passed by cars left and right.\n\n<b>INT. CHEROKEE - HENRY'S POV\n</b>\nHenry sits up front with JEROME, nervous and scared. The\nthree thugs in back lock and load.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> You gonna waste 'em?\n\n<b> JEROME\n</b> Only if we have to.\n\nJerome grabs a baseball bat and they quietly get out.\n\n<b>INT. VAN - TIGHT ON LITTLE HENRY\n</b>\nMe bites his nails and watches the foursome sneak up on\nan oblivious Seth and Cammeron.\n\n<b>EXT. GRAVEL PARKING LOT - HENRY'S POV\n</b>\nThe men close in. Seth and Cam are blind to it. Jerome\nraises the bat as they close in and we--\n\n<b>FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - EARLY MORNING - BIRDS CHIRPING\n</b>\nDanny stares at himself in the mirror and tries to find\nsome stubble on his chin.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - A SLICK DEREK\n</b>\nHe stares into the mirror in a coat and pants. Danny\nrushes to get his things together.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm printing it up and we're out of\nhere.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Hurry up.\n\nDerek walks out into the living room.\n\n<b>INT. MESSY LIVING ROOM - DORIS\n</b>\nShe's on the couch watching cartoons. She takes a jar of\nVick's Vapor Rub and puts some on her chest. Derek walks\nin the room, bends over and kisses her on the forehead.\nDavina sits on the couch and writes. Derek just smiles.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Wow. What happened?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I gotta see my parole officer.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Hey Der? Do you have Excel on disk?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I've got everything on disk.\n\nDavina smiles and walks into the back bedroom. Doris\nlooks at Derek.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You look good.\n\nDerek smiles and caresses his mother's cheek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We're getting out of here soon. Is\nthat okay with you?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I'd love it.\n (after a beat)\nDo you think I should color my hair?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nYes.\n\nHe sits beside his mother and enjoys the moment. He\nthinks to himself.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I'm glad you made it back. I wasn't\ntoo sure I was going to see you again.\nYou know how I get.\n\nFilled with regret, he nods.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You think you'll be able to forgive\nme? Someday maybe?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You're my son. Of course I will.\n\nDerek smiles and can't believe his tearful reaction.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Look at me. I'm such a pussy.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>No you're not.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BLVD. - A NEWSPAPER MACHINE\n</b>\nDerek plunks a quarter down the slot and removes a copy\nof the LA TIMES. Danny continues to skate ahead of him.\nSensing danger, Derek looks back behind him. With no one\nin sight, he walks into a doughnut shop.\n\n<b>INT. DOUGHNUT SHOP - DEREK'S POV\n</b>\nHe takes a guarded look outside. Everything seems\nnormal. A bus drives by. A group of Mexican laborers,\ndressed for work and smiling, walk past in the other\ndirection.\n\nInside, a black woman orders a dozen doughnuts from a\nshort Korean.man behind the counter. Her young daughter\ngrabs her leg. Danny sits down and reads Derek's paper.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What do you want?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Maple bar and a...large milk.\n\nDerek smiles at the little girl while he waits. She\nwanders from her mother's leg and over towards Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to the girl)\nYou look pretty.\n\nShe laughs.\n\n<b> TISHA\n</b>Thank you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How do I look?\n\n<b> BLACK GIRL\n</b>(bashfully)\nFine.\n\nDANNY'S POV. He looks up from the paper. He watches the\ngirl together with his brother.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What's your name?\n\n<b>BLACK GIRL\n</b>\nTisha.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How old are you, Tisha?\n\nShe holds up four fingers. Derek smiles.\n\n<b> BLACK MOTHER\n</b> (staring at Derek)\nCome here, Tisha.\n\nTisha returns to her mother and they quickly exit. Derek\nwatches the girl as she continues to stare at him as they\nmake their way down the street.\n\nOutside, a BLUE FORD screeches out front. Rasmussen and\nthe Young Mark Fuhrman type from earlier get out and\nwait. Dr. Sweeney meets the duo and together they walk\ninside.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What's goin' on?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>We need to talk, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How'd you find out I was here?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>We were just at your apartment.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Cammeron and Seth are in the ICU at\nSt. Johns, Derek. They were jumped in\nfront of Ben's Burgets early this\nmorning.\n\nDerek thinks to himself for a few more seconds.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How bad?\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>They'll live.\n (then)\nThey must have been looking for\nsomebody else.\n\nDerek stares at Rasmussen and walks away.\nSweeney, who knows to walk over to him.\n\nHe eyes\n\nTIGHT ON SWEENEY AND DEREK. The two lock eyes.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Are they coming after you?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuckin' A.\n\nSweeney sighs.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I don't know.\n (after a long beat)\nYou might have to talk to your old\ncrew though.\n\nDerek looks over and analyzes the innocence of his\nbrother.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I can't, Sweeney.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Try, Derek. Okay?\n\nDerek senses the danger in his voice.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Okay? Before it explodes.\n\nSweeney walks away and then turns back to Derek.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>And watch your back.\n\nDerek nods.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>(back to Danny)\nYou showing up today?\n\nDanny looks at Sweeney and nods his head yes.\n\n<b>SWEENEY\n</b>\nGood.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE HIGH - DEREK AND DANNY\n</b>\nThey are outside the fence surrounding the field.\nStudents head off to morning class.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Hey. Keep your head up, alright? I'm \ngoing to take care of this.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>How?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I don't know. I'll figure it out\nthough. You gonna be okay?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>Yeah.\n\nThe two stare at each other as THE BELL RINGS.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I gotta turn that paper in.\n\nDanny hops the fence with his backpack on. He looks back\nat Derek. Cops #1 and #2 sit in their car in the b.g.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>Hey.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>What?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come here.\n\nDerek puts his hand over the fence. Danny walks up and\nclasps it -- FINGERS INTERTWINED. Derek wants to say one\nthing but something else comes out.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'll see you at home.\n\nDanny smiles at his brother and nods. Danny puts his ear\nphones on and heads to class. Derek watches his brother\nthrough the chain-link fence. Danny meets up with Lizzy\nand they soon disappear from Derek's sight. Derek turns\nand walks down the street.\n\n<b> COP #1\n</b>You need a lift anywhere?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>Nope.\n\nDerek stops in his tracks, walks back over to the fence,\nand stares at the school.\n\n<b>INT. MESSY HALLWAY - DANNY AND LIZZY\n</b>\nStudents rush past them. Danny kisses Lizzy and she\nhurries off to class. He pushes on the men's room door.\n\n<b>INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - SAME\n</b>\nDanny enters, sets his \"AMERICAN HISTORY X\" PAPER on top\nof the sink, and takes an unearthly long piss at the\nurinal. He finishes, flushes and turns.\n\nStanding there is LITTLE HENRY. A GUN IN HIS HAND.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Jesus Christ. What are you doing,\nHenry?\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> (afraid)\nWhat does it look like I'm doin'?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come on, man, no. You don't want to\ndo this. Come on. Henry?\n\nTHE DOOR SMACKS OPEN and Danny moves to grab the pistol.\nIt discharges and a bullet rockets into Danny's chest.\nHe SLAMS back into the URINAL and gasps for air. The\nforce of the pistol knocks Henry to the ground. The two\nkids who just entered bolt for help.\n\nDanny slides to the tile, leaving a bloody trail. The\ntwo stare at each other - EYE TO EYE. THE BLOODSTAINED\nPAPER falls into the DAMP SINK. Danny inhales like glass\nis raking his lungs.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> (terrified)\nDanny?\n\nDanny's breathing slows to a choked whisper. He blinks,\ncoughs, twitches. And dies.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> Vinyard? Danny?\n\nHenry watches teary-eyed with the same altered look Derek\nhad after killing Lawrence. Together they FREEZE on the\ncold tile floor.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. HALL AT VENICE HIGH BATHROOM - YELLOW POLICE TAPE\n</b>\nOfficers and detectives monitor the area. Young\nstudents, including Lizzy and her friends, stand around\nand cry. Rasmussen brings THE BLOODY PAPER over to\nSweeney. Sweeney looks at it for a moment but is\ninterrupted.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>He won't let go. Will you talk to\nhim?\n\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - TIGHT ON DEREK AND DANNY\n</b>\nDerek cradles his bloody brother. Sweeney walks over,\ncrouches, and talks to Derek's back.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Derek? You gotta let him go, man.\nThey gotta get him outta here.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nI can't.\n\nDerek begins to cry outright. He can't control himself.\nHe lets go of Danny's corpse and charges out into the\nhall.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY - DORIS AND DAVINA\n</b>\nDerek embraces them. Doris grabs his face -- torn\nbetween love and hate. Guilt-ridden, Derek tears from\nthem and storms down the hall with Sweeney soon in tow.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Derek! I know what you're thinkin'\nright now and I want you to forget\nabout it!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How the luck do you know what I'm\nthinkin', Sweeney!?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Cause I'm thinkin' the same damn\nthing!\n\nDrowning in rage, Derek turns back to a misty eyed\nSweeney.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They shot him in a fucking...pisshole!\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>And goin' after them won't bring him\nback. Don't do it, Derek. Please,\nman. You've come too far. The war is\nover.\n\nDerek contemplates the situation and presses his tongue\nagainst his teeth, crackbrained. Sweeney slowly\napproaches and cautiously wraps his arms around the young\nman. Derek buries his tearing face in Sweeney's\nshoulder.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It stops now, Sweeney.\n\nSweeney nods and the two lock eyes. Derek makes his way\nback to Doris and Davina and together, they grieve.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>We've heard it a million times, a\nBible quote become cliche: \"Vengeance\nis mine, sayeth the Lord.\"\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - DANNY AND HENRY\n</b>\nA still of the two immediately after the murder. We move\nin tighter and tighter until we get close on Danny.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Vengeance brought about by hate...and\nfear. When it points its head in our\ndirection, we take notice and\neverything changes. The way we choose\nour friends, the way we protect our\nfamilies, the way we create enemies\nout of strangers.\n (then)\nWelcome to America.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY'S EYES. They are gently pushed shut by\nHenry's two small BLACK FINGERS.\n\n<b>THE END\n</b>\n\n</NOSCRIPT></TITLE><SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"JavaScript\">\n<!--Ad Banner\nfunction popupPage() {\n var windowopts = \"location=no,scrollbars=no,menubars=no,toolbars=no,resizable=yes,left= 50,top=50,width=490,height=130\";\n\n popup15796 = open('/prohost/banner.html',\"MenuPopup\",windowopts);\n popup15796.focus();\n<b>}\n</b>\npopupPage();\n\n// Ad Banner-->\n</script>\n\n</pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>American History X</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=David McKenna\" title=\"Scripts by David McKenna\">David McKenna</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Drama\" title=\"Drama Scripts\">Drama</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/American History X Script.html#comments\" title=\"American History X comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What is Mr. Murray's ethnicity?", "tokens": [ "What", "is", "Mr.", "Murray", "s", "ethnicity", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "He is Jewish", "tokens": [ "He", "is", "Jewish" ] }, { "text": "Jewish", "tokens": [ "Jewish" ] } ]
{ "id": "73406ddf9465f3f6afe43db7c8610c77a4b99ff4", "kind": "movie", "url": "http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/American-History-X.html", "file_size": 146099, "word_count": 25059, "start": "AMERICAN HISTORY X", "end": "Banner -- >", "summary": { "text": " High school student Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) receives an assignment from his history teacher Mr. Murray (Elliott Gould) to write a paper on \"any book which relates to the struggle for human rights.\" Knowing Murray is Jewish, Danny writes his paper on Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. Murray attempts to get Danny expelled for doing this, but Principal Dr. Bob Sweeney (Avery Brooks) refuses, instead informing Danny that he will study history and current events under Sweeney, and that the class will be called \"American History X.\" Danny's first assignment is to prepare a paper on his brother Derek (Edward Norton), a former neo-Nazi leader.\nDerek and Danny's firefighter father Dennis Vinyard (William Russ) exposes his own racism in reaction to the news that Derek's English teacher, Dr. Sweeney, had assigned Richard Wright's novel Native Son. Sent on a call to fight a fire in a drug den, Dennis is murdered by black drug dealers. In a television interview conducted after Dennis' death, Derek erupts in a long racist tirade. Shortly thereafter, Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach) and Derek form a white supremacist gang called the D.O.C. (Disciples of Christ). As a skilled basketball player, Derek is reluctantly dragged into a 3-on-3 game against several members of the Crips in which the prize is control of the recreation center basketball courts. After winning with his friends, Derek leads a large gang of skinheads to attack a supermarket owned by a Korean. Derek's mother Doris (Beverly D'Angelo) invites Murray, whom she is dating, home for dinner, which turns into a full-blown argument between Derek and Murray, causing themselves to leave. That night as Danny hears people attempting to steal Dennis' truck, Derek shoots and kills one of the thieves and curb stomps another, before being arrested by the police and being sentenced to three years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.\nDerek is given a job in the prison laundry and assigned to be the partner of Lamont (Guy Torry), a black man who is serving six years for assault. The pair develop a rapport from their shared love of basketball. Derek joins the Aryan Brotherhood, but after about a year, he becomes disillusioned with it. After being attacked in the shower by the Aryan Brotherhood members, Derek recovers and is visited by Sweeney, whom he asks for help to be paroled. Sweeney informs him of Danny's involvement with neo-Nazis, and warns that he is on the same path as Derek. Derek further distances himself from the Aryan Brotherhood and spends the remainder of his time in prison alone, reading books that Sweeney sends him. Finally realizing the error of his ways, Derek leaves prison a changed man. He finds that Danny has a D.O.C. tattoo and tries to persuade Danny to leave the gang. They subsequently go to a neo-Nazi party, where Derek tells Cameron that he and Danny will no longer associate with the neo-Nazi movement. Derek tells Danny about his experience in prison, which seems to prompt a change in Danny.\nThe next morning, Danny finishes his paper and Derek gets ready for a meeting with his parole officer. Derek walks Danny to school before his meeting, and on their way they stop at a diner. Sweeney and a police officer tell Derek that his friend Seth Ryan (Ethan Suplee) and Cameron were attacked the previous night. At school, Danny is confronted by a young black student named Little Henry, who shoots and kills Danny. Derek arrives at the school and mourns for Danny. In a voice over, Danny reads the final lines of his paper for Dr. Sweeney, stating, \"Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it,\" and then quoting the final stanza of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address.", "tokens": [ "High", "school", "student", "Danny", "Vinyard", "(", "Edward", "Furlong", ")", "receives", "an", "assignment", "from", "his", "history", "teacher", "Mr.", "Murray", "(", "Elliott", "Gould", ")", "to", "write", "a", "paper", "on", "any", "book", "which", "relates", "to", "the", "struggle", "for", "human", "rights", ".", "Knowing", "Murray", "is", "Jewish", ",", "Danny", "writes", "his", "paper", "on", "Adolf", "Hitler", "s", "Mein", "Kampf", ".", "Murray", "attempts", "to", "get", "Danny", "expelled", "for", "doing", "this", ",", "but", "Principal", "Dr.", "Bob", "Sweeney", "(", "Avery", "Brooks", ")", "refuses", ",", "instead", "informing", "Danny", "that", "he", "will", "study", "history", "and", "current", "events", "under", "Sweeney", ",", "and", "that", "the", "class", "will", "be", "called", "American", "History", "X", ".", "Danny", "s", "first", "assignment", "is", "to", "prepare", "a", "paper", "on", "his", "brother", "Derek", "(", "Edward", "Norton", ")", ",", "a", "former", "neo-Nazi", "leader", ".", "Derek", "and", "Danny", "s", "firefighter", "father", "Dennis", "Vinyard", "(", "William", "Russ", ")", "exposes", "his", "own", "racism", "in", "reaction", "to", "the", "news", "that", "Derek", "s", "English", "teacher", ",", "Dr.", "Sweeney", ",", "had", "assigned", "Richard", "Wright", "s", "novel", "Native", "Son", ".", "Sent", "on", "a", "call", "to", "fight", "a", "fire", "in", "a", "drug", "den", ",", "Dennis", "is", "murdered", "by", "black", "drug", "dealers", ".", "In", "a", "television", "interview", "conducted", "after", "Dennis", "'", "death", ",", "Derek", "erupts", "in", "a", "long", "racist", "tirade", ".", "Shortly", "thereafter", ",", "Cameron", "Alexander", "(", "Stacy", "Keach", ")", "and", "Derek", "form", "a", "white", "supremacist", "gang", "called", "the", "D.O.C", ".", "(", "Disciples", "of", "Christ", ")", ".", "As", "a", "skilled", "basketball", "player", ",", "Derek", "is", "reluctantly", "dragged", "into", "a", "3-on-3", "game", "against", "several", "members", "of", "the", "Crips", "in", "which", "the", "prize", "is", "control", "of", "the", "recreation", "center", "basketball", "courts", ".", "After", "winning", "with", "his", "friends", ",", "Derek", "leads", "a", "large", "gang", "of", "skinheads", "to", "attack", "a", "supermarket", "owned", "by", "a", "Korean", ".", "Derek", "s", "mother", "Doris", "(", "Beverly", "D'Angelo", ")", "invites", "Murray", ",", "whom", "she", "is", "dating", ",", "home", "for", "dinner", ",", "which", "turns", "into", "a", "full-blown", "argument", "between", "Derek", "and", "Murray", ",", "causing", "themselves", "to", "leave", ".", "That", "night", "as", "Danny", "hears", "people", "attempting", "to", "steal", "Dennis", "'", "truck", ",", "Derek", "shoots", "and", "kills", "one", "of", "the", "thieves", "and", "curb", "stomps", "another", ",", "before", "being", "arrested", "by", "the", "police", "and", "being", "sentenced", "to", "three", "years", "in", "prison", "for", "voluntary", "manslaughter", ".", "Derek", "is", "given", "a", "job", "in", "the", "prison", "laundry", "and", "assigned", "to", "be", "the", "partner", "of", "Lamont", "(", "Guy", "Torry", ")", ",", "a", "black", "man", "who", "is", "serving", "six", "years", "for", "assault", ".", "The", "pair", "develop", "a", "rapport", "from", "their", "shared", "love", "of", "basketball", ".", "Derek", "joins", "the", "Aryan", "Brotherhood", ",", "but", "after", "about", "a", "year", ",", "he", "becomes", "disillusioned", "with", "it", ".", "After", "being", "attacked", "in", "the", "shower", "by", "the", "Aryan", "Brotherhood", "members", ",", "Derek", "recovers", "and", "is", "visited", "by", "Sweeney", ",", "whom", "he", "asks", "for", "help", "to", "be", "paroled", ".", "Sweeney", "informs", "him", "of", "Danny", "s", "involvement", "with", "neo-Nazis", ",", "and", "warns", "that", "he", "is", "on", "the", "same", "path", "as", "Derek", ".", "Derek", "further", "distances", "himself", "from", "the", "Aryan", "Brotherhood", "and", "spends", "the", "remainder", "of", "his", "time", "in", "prison", "alone", ",", "reading", "books", "that", "Sweeney", "sends", "him", ".", "Finally", "realizing", "the", "error", "of", "his", "ways", ",", "Derek", "leaves", "prison", "a", "changed", "man", ".", "He", "finds", "that", "Danny", "has", "a", "D.O.C", ".", "tattoo", "and", "tries", "to", "persuade", "Danny", "to", "leave", "the", "gang", ".", "They", "subsequently", "go", "to", "a", "neo-Nazi", "party", ",", "where", "Derek", "tells", "Cameron", "that", "he", "and", "Danny", "will", "no", "longer", "associate", "with", "the", "neo-Nazi", "movement", ".", "Derek", "tells", "Danny", "about", "his", "experience", "in", "prison", ",", "which", "seems", "to", "prompt", "a", "change", "in", "Danny", ".", "The", "next", "morning", ",", "Danny", "finishes", "his", "paper", "and", "Derek", "gets", "ready", "for", "a", "meeting", "with", "his", "parole", "officer", ".", "Derek", "walks", "Danny", "to", "school", "before", "his", "meeting", ",", "and", "on", "their", "way", "they", "stop", "at", "a", "diner", ".", "Sweeney", "and", "a", "police", "officer", "tell", "Derek", "that", "his", "friend", "Seth", "Ryan", "(", "Ethan", "Suplee", ")", "and", "Cameron", "were", "attacked", "the", "previous", "night", ".", "At", "school", ",", "Danny", "is", "confronted", "by", "a", "young", "black", "student", "named", "Little", "Henry", ",", "who", "shoots", "and", "kills", "Danny", ".", "Derek", "arrives", "at", "the", "school", "and", "mourns", "for", "Danny", ".", "In", "a", "voice", "over", ",", "Danny", "reads", "the", "final", "lines", "of", "his", "paper", "for", "Dr.", "Sweeney", ",", "stating", ",", "Hate", "is", "baggage", ".", "Life", "s", "too", "short", "to", "be", "pissed", "off", "all", "the", "time", ".", "It", "s", "just", "not", "worth", "it", ",", "and", "then", "quoting", "the", "final", "stanza", "of", "Abraham", "Lincoln", "s", "first", "inaugural", "address", "." ], "url": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_History_X", "title": "American History X" }, "text": "<html>\n<head><title>American History X Script at IMSDb.</title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"American History X script at the Internet Movie Script Database.\">\n<meta name=\"keywords\" content=\"American History X script, American History X movie script, American History X film script\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\" />\n<meta name=\"HandheldFriendly\" content=\"true\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1\">\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Language\" content=\"EN\">\n\n<meta name=objecttype CONTENT=Document>\n<meta name=ROBOTS CONTENT=\"INDEX, FOLLOW\">\n<meta name=Subject CONTENT=\"Movie scripts, Film scripts\">\n<meta name=rating CONTENT=General>\n<meta name=distribution 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Database\"><img src=\"/images/logo_bottom.gif\" width=\"170\" border=\"0\"></a> \n <br>\n\t<center><span class=\"smalltxt\">The web's largest <br>movie script resource!</span></center>\n\t</td>\n <td>\t\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\t e9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"728x90\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n </tr>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n \n <td width=\"180\" valign=\"top\">\n\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Search IMSDb<tr>\n<form method=\"post\" action=\"/search.php\">\n <td width=\"180\"> <div align=\"center\">\n <input type=\"text\" name=\"search_query\" maxlength=\"255\" size=\"15\">\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Go!\" name=\"submit\">\n </div></td>\n</form>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" 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href=\"/alphabetical/T\">T</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/U\">U</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/V\">V</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/W\">W</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/X\">X</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Y\">Y</a>\n <td><a href=\"/alphabetical/Z\">Z</a>\n</table>\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Genre\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Action\">Action</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Adventure\">Adventure</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Animation\">Animation</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Comedy\">Comedy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Crime\">Crime</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Drama\">Drama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Family\">Family</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Fantasy\">Fantasy</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Film-Noir\">Film-Noir</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Horror\">Horror</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Musical\">Musical</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Mystery\">Mystery</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Romance\">Romance</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Sci-Fi\">Sci-Fi</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Short\">Short</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Thriller\">Thriller</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/War\">War</a>\n\t<td><a href=\"/genre/Western\">Western</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table class=body border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width=\"100%\">\n<tr> \n <td colspan=\"2\" class=heading>Sponsor<tr>\n <td width=\"300\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFFF\">\n <script type=\"text/javascript\"><!--\n\te9 = new Object();\n e9.size = \"300x250\";\n //--></script>\n <script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//tags.expo9.exponential.com/tags/IMSDb/ROS/tags.js\"></script>\n </td>\n</table>\n\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>TV Transcripts\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Futurama.html\">Futurama</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Seinfeld.html\">Seinfeld</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/South Park.html\">South Park</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Stargate SG1.html\">Stargate SG-1</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/Lost.html\">Lost</a><tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/TV/The 4400.html\">The 4400</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" class=\"body\">\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>International\n<tr> \n\t<td><a href=\"/language/French\">French scripts</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Software\n<tr>\n <td><a href=\"/out/dvd-ripper\"><img src=\"/images/a/dvd-ripper.jpg\" alt=\"DVD ripper software offer\"></a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-from-dvd\">Rip from DVD</a>\n<tr>\n\t<td><a href=\"/software/rip-blu-ray\">Rip Blu-Ray</a>\n</table>\n\n<br>\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=3 class=heading>Latest Comments\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Script.html\">Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Star Wars: The Force Awakens Script.html\">Star Wars: The Force Awakens<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Batman Begins Script.html\">Batman Begins<td>9/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Collateral Script.html\">Collateral<td>10/10<tr>\n<td><a href=\"/Movie Scripts/Jackie Brown Script.html\">Jackie Brown<td>8/10<tr>\n</table>\n<br>\n\n<table width=\"100%\" border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 class=body>\n<tr>\n<td class=heading>Movie Chat\n<tr> \n<td align=\"center\">\n<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"Javascript\" TYPE=\"text/javascript\" SRC=\"https://www.yellbox.com/ybscript_enhanced.js\"></SCRIPT>\n<iframe class=\"yellbox\" frameborder=0 name=\"ybframe\" height=170 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/yellbox.php?name=imsdb\">\n</iframe>\n<form class=\"yellbox\" action=\"https://www.yellbox.com/addmessage.php\" method=\"post\" target=\"ybframe\" name=\"yellform\"> \n <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub_username\" value=\"imsdb\">\n <input class=\"yellbox\" name=\"sub_name\" value=\"Name\" size=21 maxlength=10 onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Name')this.value = ''; return;\"><br>\n <textarea class=\"yellbox\" cols=15 rows=4 name=\"sub_message\" wrap onFocus=\"if(this.value == 'Message')this.value = ''; return;\">Message</textarea>\n <table><tr><td>\n <button onClick=\"javascript:makeNewWindow(); return false;\"><img src=\"https://www.yellbox.com/images/smiley.gif\" width=16 height=16></button>\n <td><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Post\" onClick=\"return clearMessageBox();\">Yell !</button></table>\n</form> \n</table>\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><br><br>\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com/all%20scripts\">ALL SCRIPTS</a><br><br>\n</div>\n\n<td width=\"10\"></td>\n<td valign=\"top\">\n<br> <table width=\"100%\"><tr><td class=\"scrtext\">\n\n<pre>AMERICAN HISTORY X \nscreenplay by \nDavid McKenna \nFebruary 6, 1997 \n\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - CLOSED EYES \n</b>\nA young man's blue eyes slowly open. A girl moans from the next room.\n\n<b>EXT. STREET CORNER - A LARGE TIRE\n</b>\nturns the corner and splashes through a puddle from an\nearlier rain. TUPAC SHAKUR blares from inside.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE EYES\n</b>\nThey snap wide as the young woman in the next room MOANS\neven louder.\n\n<b>EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A WET NIGHT\n</b>\nA slight buzz emanates from the power lines and street\nlights above the humble VINYARD household. A black FORD\nBRONCO rests in the driveway.\n\n<b>EXT. WET STREET - A GRAY TRANS AM\n</b>\nTUPAC'S rapping builds. The window-tinted drive-by\nslowly heads down the residential street, cruises past\nthe Bronco in the driveway, and slows to a stop. The\nmusic stops and TWO BLACK MEN spring from the car.\n\nThey move with purpose. The larger figure, crowbar in\nhand, moves to the truck. The GUN wielding passenger\nhurries to the front door and stands guard. Inside the\ncar, another man methodically waits.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY VINYARD'S EYES\n</b>\nThe sex happening in the next room makes it difficult for\nDanny to sleep. Next to a digital clock that reads\n3:07AM, the clean cut 14-year-old flips to his side.\n\nA poster of Lee Ving of FEAR onstage, taped to the wall.\nPre-Calculus and Biology books on the floor. Cassettes\nscattered on his tiny desk. A stereo in the corner.\n\nThe off-screen sound of breaking glass grabs Danny's\nattention. He sits up and looks through the blinds.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - SAME\n</b>\nDanny SEES a man reach through the broken window and\nunlock the door. He quickly. pans to the idling Trans Am.\n\n<b>INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY\n</b>\nHis fearful expression says it all.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Holy shit.\n\nDanny quickly bolts out of his room and into the adjacent\nbedroom down the hall. He barges through the door.\n\n<b>INT. DEREK'S BEDROOM - A NAZI IRON EAGLE BATTLE FLAG\n</b>\nIt hangs above a serious computer and next to a giant,\ntome-filled bookshelf. The moans, meanwhile, approach\norgasm.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK VINYARD. The young man has a shaved head,\na thick goatee, and a well-crafted SWASTIKA on his left\ntit. On top of Derek in the bed is his barely-of-age\ngirlfriend, STACEY. The covers are completely off and a\nBLACK ROSE is tattooed across her right shoulder blade.\nDanny watches her fuck, only for a second.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(softly)\n\nDer !\n\nDanny walks over and shakes him. Startled, Derek\nforcefully grabs his little brother's arm.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(controlled)\n\nWhat?\n\nStacey stops and looks over. Frustated, she rolls off\nDerek and onto her side.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Fucking pervert, Dan!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>There's a black guy outside Der...\nbreaking into your car.\n\nDerek, muscled and tattooed, jumps out of the bed and\nquickly puts on his skivvies. He reaches under his\nmattress, pulls out a SIG .45 semi-automatic pistol, and\nshoves in a clip.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How long has he been out there?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Not long.\n\n<b>STACEY\n</b>\nWho?\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Nobody. Relax.\n\nStacey sits up quickly from the bed as Derek pulls on his\nblack combat boots.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Who's out there, Derek?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not right now, honey.\n (to Danny)\nHow many?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>One...I think.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Is he strapped?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Hunh?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Does he have a fucking gun, Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm not sure.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Is there a driver?\n\nDanny nods his head yes.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Okay. Stay the luck here.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Derek? Be careful.\n\nHe looks at his girlfriend and walks off.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY - SAME\n</b>\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He walks down the hall. The intensity\non his face is alarming. He stops at the front door and\ngrabs the doorknob. Before he turns the knob, he peeks\nthrough the eye hole on the door.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - DEREK'S EYE POV\n</b>\nTHE BLACK GUARD carelessly turns toward the driveway to\nsee what's taking his partner so long with the wires.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - DEREK AT THE DOOR\n</b>\nThe guard has his back to him. Derek goes.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - THE DUEL\n</b>\nDerek throws open the door and the black man standing\nguard wheels and fires a shot into the front door. Derek\nburies two bullets in his chest.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck you!\n\nThe force propels the man six feet backwards.\n\n<b>INT./EXT. BRONCO - THE OTHER MAN\n</b>\nStunned by the gunfire, he charges back to the getaway\nTranny. Derek buries a bullet into his shoulder. The\ncar splits and Derek fires a shot through the side\nwindow. He then walks towards the car and fires shot\nafter shot at it until it disappears.\n\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - DARKNESS\n</b>\nDavina and Doris Vinyard yell in the background like they\nwere in Vietnam. They meet in the hallway, still not\nable to place the direction of the gunfire.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>\n<b>MOM!!!!\n</b>\n<b> DORIS\n</b><b>STAY DOWN, HONEY! DANNY?!\n</b>\nThey stay down on the carpet together.\n\n<b>EXT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nFrom the rain-soaked window he watches Derek face his\nwounded prey - crawling on the ground. Sirens sound from\na distance.\n\n<b> STACEY (O.S.)\n</b>Get down, Danny! Jesus!\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. His gaze is locked on his brother from\nhis bedroom window. Derek cocks his piece, points it and\nwalks toward the man.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK'S FACE. Eyes blistering.\n\n<b>FADE TO BLACK:\n</b>\n<b>THREE YEARS LATER\n</b>\n<b>EXT. POLICE STATION - EARLY MORNING\n</b>\nA black man in a suit and tie, ROBERT SWEENEY, goes\nthrough the automatic doors and into the station. He\napproaches a DESK SERGEANT. A daily calendar on her desk\nreads MONDAY. MARCH 3. 1997.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Captain Rasmussen?\n\n<b> DESK SERGEANT\n</b>Briefing room. Down that hall...third\ndoor on the left.\n\n<b>INT. BRIEFING ROOM - A MEETING\n</b>\nCops and detectives sit attentively and a few sip coffee.\nThe clock on the wall above reads 7:38 AM. Middle-aged\nwith slicked-back hair, CAPTAIN JOHN RASMUSSEN finishes a\nthought. He spots Sweeney as he enters and aimlessly\nreaches for a file.\n\n<b>RASMUSSEN\n</b>All right. Moving on--\n(acknowledging)\nGood Morning, Doctor.\n\nThe group looks over and meets Sweeney's hard glare.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Good morning.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Gentlemen, this is Dr. Bob Sweeney.\nHe's Principal over at Venice High and\nfor some time now he's done a load of\noutreach work with gangs...in and out\nof the can.\n\nSweeney nods as Rasmussen cough. He sips water and\ncontinues.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Three years ago a local kid named\nDerek Vinyard gets sent up for\nmurdering a couple of Crips who were\ntrying to jack his car. Bob taught\nVinyard back in high school and has\nfollowed the case closely.\n\n<b> YOUNG COP\n</b>He was a skinhead, right?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Derek was more like...the skinhead.\nHe and Cameron Alexander.\n\n<b>COP #2\n</b>\nWho?\n\nRasmussen opens a FILE in front of him. There rests\nDerek's mug shot. He flips it over and reveals\nCAMMERON'S MUG SHOT. Front and side view.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Cammeron Alexander is probably the\nbiggest writer and distributor of\nwhite power literature in LA County.\nHe promotes white power bands, writes\nreviews, columns, all at the ripe age\nof forty.\n\n<b> YOUNG COP\n</b> (smiling)\nHe's forty? Jesus.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Pretty clean record...runs everything\nout of his house down by the beach.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>There weren't any organized white\ngangs around Venice before those two\nhooked up. Very few, if any. It was\nmostly just black and Mexican. But it\nwas tiny. They hit it off though...\nand Alexander hit the jackpot with\nDerek.\n\nRasmussen reaches over and pushes play on a VCR.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>We got some uncut footage here.\nCourtesy of NBC.\n\n<b>ON THE TELEVISION--\n</b>\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>Earlier this evening...LA County\nFirefighter Dennis Vinyard was shot\nand killed while putting out a fire in\na suspected Compton drug den.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b> (to the group)\nThis being February of '90.\n\n<b>EXT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A LIVE BROADCAST - VIDEOTAPE\n</b>\nA YOUNGER DEREK, short haired with no tattoos, stands\nnext to the reporter. Derek wears a Venice High\nBasketball jersey drenched in sweat. Towel around neck,\nhe thinks to himself as the man speaks into the camera.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>To my right I have Lieutenant\nVinyard's oldest son Derek.\n (to Derek)\nHow do you feel about all this, son?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How do I feel? How do you think I\nfeel? It's typical.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>Typical how, Derek?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Well...look at our country. It's a\nhaven for criminals. Black...brown...\nyellow...whatever.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>So you're saying the murder of your\nfather is \"race\" related?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Every problem in this country is\n\"race\" related. Every problem, not\njust crime. These problems are rooted\nin the black community, the Hispanic\ncommunity, the Asian...every non-\nProtestant group in our society.\n (then)\nLook at the shit. Immigration...\nwelfare...AIDS...they're all the\nproblems of the non-white. Look at\nthe statistics.\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>Most of these issues you're referring\nto though son are related to--\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (interrupting)\nNo no no! Don't say poverty right now\ncause that's not it. They're not a\nproduct of our fucking environment\neither! Minorities don't give two\nshits about this country! They're\nhere to exploit...not embrace.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN (O.S)\n</b> (over reporter's question)\nWhen Alexander got his hands on this\nsegment...he copied it, sent it out\nand it became the Gettysberg Address\nfor hate groups across the country.\n\n<b>BACK TO THE TELEVISION.\n</b>\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Millions of white Europeans came to\nthis country and flourished within a\ngeneration! A generation! So what\nthe fuck is wrong with these people?!\n\n<b> REPORTER\n</b>What does any of this have to do with\nyour father?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Because my father was doing his\nfucking job! Saving a nigger\nneighborhood he didn't give two shits\nabout! And he got killed by some drug\ndealer who still collects a fucking\nwelfare check.\n\nDerek looks at the man and walks over to HIS MOTHER\nDORIS, who smokes a cigarette. The camera follows him as\nhe puts his arm around her and escorts her back inside\ntheir Venice Beach residence. The camera pans back to\nthe reporter who just stands there, speechless.\n\n<b>INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME\n</b>\nRasmussen ejects the tape, the screen turns to fuzz, and\nhe turns it off.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Vinyard was quietly released from\nChino on Saturday after three and some\nodd years. And I think it's something\nwe might want to keep an eye on for a\nfew days.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I don't wanna be an alarmist. But\npayback is out there. I know it is.\nAnd in this particular case...if\nVinyard gets popped...more people will\nget popped.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>It's not exactly LAPD policy but I\nwant 24-hour surveillance on Vinyard\nfor a few days.\n\n<b> COP #2\n</b>(smiling in disbelief)\nTwenty-four hour surveillance, sir?\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Just for a few days.\n\n<b> ANOTHER COP\n</b>He doesn't sound like Mr. Lovely here,\nCaptain. You want us to bust him or\nprotect him?\n\nRasmussen offers Sweeney a look that it's his question.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I don't think Vinyard's gonna be the\none to start anything. It's his\nfollowing.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Either way...let's keep it low.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BEACH BOARDWALK - MORNING\n</b>\nPEACEFUL DAY by PENNYWISE blasts from Danny's walkman\nheadphones. The day is cloudy and overcast but that\ndoesn't bother the local SURFERS. A twosome paddles\nnorth to get a better break on the next set. Danny\nwatches as he skateboards down the strand.\n\nHis appearance is changed, now resembling a younger,\nsofter Derek.\n\nHead shaved to a quarter of an inch, he wears a PLAIN\nWHITE BACKPACK with punk/white power bands scribbled all\nover it. Your standard Sex Pistols, DK, Germs, G.B.M.,\nand Adolescents in black. Cro-Magnons and Skrewdriver\noff to the left. In red is the largest name, DICK NIXON.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b> EXT. VENICE HIGH SCHOOL - THE BIKE CORRAL\n</b>\n Kids from all walks of life park their cars, lock their\n bikes and head off to class.\n\n<b> EXT. HALLWAY - TIGHT ON A THRASHED LOCKER\n</b>\n Danny throws his SKATEBOARD in, slams the door, and turns\n to face LIZZY, a pretty, redheaded freshman.\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b> Hi Danny.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Hey Lizzy.\n\nThe two smile at one another as the FIRST BELL RINGS.\n\n<b> CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - A URINAL\n</b>\nDanny takes a piss. Outside, a voice pleads \"It wasn't\nme!\" DARYL DAWSON, pale and thin, is shoved into the\nbathroom and he trips into the sink. LITTLE HENRY, a\nyoung black kid, enters with two of his buddies. Danny\nzips up and faces them.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> (to a terrified Daryl)\n Tellin' Baker I'm fuckin' cheatin'?\n I've never cheated in my life.\n\n<b> BUDDY #1\n</b> Beat his ass, Henry!\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> Why you trippin' on me?\n\n<b> DARYL\n</b> I didn't say anything, Henry. I\n swear.\n\n<b> BUDDY #2\n</b> He's lying, man! I was right there!\n\nLittle Henry cracks Daryl in the face and practically\nknocks him down with one shot. A bleeding Daryl\nstruggles to his hands and knees behind Danny.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> Next time, man.\n\nDanny stares into Henry's eyes and the trio exits. Dannv\nhelps Daryl back up to the sink. THE SECOND BELL RINGS.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. CLASS - SAME\n</b>\nKids have just settled into their seats. Danny walks in \nand tries to be discrete.\n\n<b> OFFSCREEN VOICE\n</b>Vinyard!?\n\nAn OLDER TEACHER writes an Algebra problem on the board\nfor the students to solve.\n\n<b> OLDER TEACHER\n</b>You're late.\n\nThe man grabs a pink slip off his desk and hands it to\nDanny.\n\n<b> OLD TEACHER\n</b>But it looks like you got bigger\nproblems.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (reading the slip)\nOh, man! Come on. Get a job.\n\nThe teacher stares at him.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRINCIPAL LOBBY - DANNY\n</b>\nHe sits in a chair next to an office door marked DR.\nROBERT SWEENEY - PRINCIPAL. Danny glances at the\nsecretary as she types and talks on the phone.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He listens to the conversation through\nthe the crack in the door as his eyes swell.\n\n<b> MURRAY (O.S.)\n</b>I do not have a problem with him as an\nindividual, alright!?\n\n<b> SWEENEY (O.S.)\n</b>Oh shit Murray sure you do. You hate\nthis kid.\n\n<b>INT. OFFICE - THE CONVERSATION\n</b>\nThe bespectacled, short-haired MURRAY ROSENBERG, 48,\nlooks over and spots Danny listening outside. Murray\nwalks over and shuts the door. He looks at DR. SWEENEY,\nwho now has his jacket off.\n\nHe points to a typewritten report on the desk and smiles\nin horror. It is titled BOOK REPORT--MEIN KAMPF.\n\"Daniel Vinvard - American History\" is in the upper left\nhand corner.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>This paper is a travesty, Bob!\nArguing for Hitler as a civil rights\nhero?! You've gotta draw a line.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Murray...it says in your syllabus that\nthey could do their report on any book\nrelated to the struggle for Civil\nRights.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Oh come on, Bob!\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Let me finish! He needs help...I'm\nnot disputing that. But I read it and\nI'm not going to throw him out.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>His brother probably put him up to it.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I can guarantee you his brother didn't\nhave anything to do with it, Murray.\n\nMurray sighs and takes off his glasses.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Don't let him walk scot-free here.\nFor his sake...not mine. You might be\nall he has left.\n\nSweeney stares at the younger teacher and nods.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. OFFICE - THE DOOR OPENS\n</b>\nMurray walks out and turns back to Sweeney.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b> Thanks, Bob.\n<b> \n</b><b> SWEENEY (O.S.)\n</b> Okay. Get in here, Dan!\n\nDanny and Murray make hostile eye contact.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> I knew it was you.\n\n<b> SWEENEY (O.S.)\n</b> Shut up and get your ass in here!\n\n<b>INT. OFFICE - DANNY ENTERS\n</b>\nBefore he even gets through the door he's chastised.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> What's it gonna be, Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> What's what going to be?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> This petty shit you're pullin'.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Well...I don't know.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> You said it, all right. Sit down.\n\nDanny does what he's told. Sweeney stares at the\nteenager and leans back in his chair.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> Are you okay?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Yeah.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> Any time you wanna talk, Dan--\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Okay.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> How's Derek?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Fine.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Adjusting okay?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Yeah.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>He was a student of mine. Honors\nEnglish. He was a great student...\nlike you...but he hung out with\nscumbags. Also like you. That's why\nhe ended up in the pen, hunh?\n\nNo answer. Sweeney holds up Danny's paper.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Great writing. I can't correct it\nthough. It wreaks too much of shit.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come on, man! I followed directions\nand wrote an \"A\" paper. It's got\nnothing to do with Derek.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Everything you do now has something to\ndo with Derek. Who told you to do\nthis?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Let us get on with our lives, man!\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Hey, I'm not worried about Derek--he\ncan take care of himself. I'm worried\nabout his little brother.\n(softly)\nMein Kampf, Dan? I should expel you!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Do it. What? You don't think I could\nhandle it?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b> (smiling in disbelief)\nThe street would kill you, Danny.\nYou're not tough. The second a\nbrother pulls a gun on your ass you'll\nbe holierin' for Doris.\n (pondering to himself)\nSo here's the drill. Take it or leave\nit cause I'm sick of babysitting. I'm\nyour history teacher from here on out.\nWe're gonna deal with shit happening\nright now. Call it American\nHistory...X. I see your ass once a\nday. Any more, any less, and you're a\nmemory at Venice High. Clear?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It took me a week to read Mein Kampf.\nCome on, Sweeney.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>My name is Dr. Sweeney. And I want a\nanother paper on my desk tomorrow.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What am I doing it on then?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>It'S not a \"what\", it's a \"who.\"\n (after a beat)\nDerek.\n\n<b>SMASH TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE SHORELINE - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\nA series of intercuts shows activity in and around the\npier. A HOMELESS LATINO MAN searches a trash dumpster.\nOPEN VENDORS sell tie-dye and water bong paraphernalia.\nA FAT WOMAN walks past eating a hot dog. BLACK GANG\nMEMBERS play basketball in their low-rider shorts and\nboxers.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He skateboards down the boardwalk,\nperforming tricks and spinning the board. He eats shit,\nrecovers, and looks off into the distance.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>People look at me...and they see my\nbrother. That's how things have gone\nsince the murder of our father.\n\n<b>EXT. BOARDWALK - NEAR THE BASKETBALL COURT\n</b>\nFrom afar, he spots a group of black gang members shoot\nhoops. He and Little Henry from earlier exchange a cold\nglance.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Little Henry Hastings and his older\nbrother Jerome. Jerome's a Shoreline\nCrip...Henry's on his way.\n\nLittle Henry and older brother JEROME catch their breath\nand stare down Dan. Danny doesn't flinch. Jerome sips\nfrom a 40 oz. beer and resumes playing.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Venice Beach, man. It didn't always\nlook like this. I mean...our Dad used\nto take us down here to run...and it\nwas cool. Derek fucking owned this\nplace. Since then though...the gangs,\nman--\n\nTIGHT ON DANNy. He watches the basketball action as he\ntakes a drag off his Marlboro Red.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>--they've moved west from Inglewood\nand South Central and have really\njust...taken over. Especially at my\nhigh school. The Venice Locos are big\ntoo but they hang out in bumluck Mar\nVista. It's scary.\n (then)\nAnd then there's The Disciples of\nChrist. The D.O.C.\n\nJerome and Little Henry joke and argue with eight extra\nplayers and spectators.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - A GAME - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nDANNY'S POV. The teams are a mixed assemblage of 3\nblacks and 2 Latinos and 3 whites and 1 black and 1\nLatino. SKINHEAD FAT SETH RYAN, early twenties, and his\ntwo skinhead buddies, can't compete against the better,\npredominantly black team. One of the skins, CURTIS, has\na shaved head, a light beard and an M-16 RIFLE tattooed\non his head.\n\nJEROME and LITTLE HENRY sit together to the right of the\ncourt and monitor closely. Danny looks over his left\nshoulder and sees Derek and Stacey sit with CAMMERON.\nCowboy hat and BRONCO JERSEY, they sit and converse on\nthe bleachers.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Seven-six. Let's go! Set some picks!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Bring it on, boy.\n\nDerek quickly moves his eyes to the court.\n\n<b>LAWRENCE\n</b>Boy?\n\nLawrence quickly pivots past Seth, dunks it, and yells as\nhe hangs on the rim. The crowd cheers.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Lucky piece of shit! I'm through\n\"monkeying\" around with your ass!\n\nLawrence spins around and challenges Seth.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Fat, pasty, pale, pastrami eating,\ncracker, motherfucker. A hundred\nbucks says I make you my bitch.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (to the crowd)\nHere we go! Trying to make ends meet\nfor that cut in welfare.\n\nHe makes a scene and passes Danny on the sideline.\nLawrence waits for Seth to take it further. Danny looks\nat him, concerned.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It's eight-six, Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>When I want your fucking opinion I'll\nask for it, fuckhead.\n (to Derek and Cam)\nHelp me cover here, guys.\n\nDerek and Cameron stare at Seth, knowing Seth will lose\nand embarrass them.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You got a big fucking mouth, fat kid.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'll take this negro down.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You can't take a shit, Seth. Shut up.\n\nDerek shoots a look to Cameron, comes to a decision, and\nstands. He shouts for all to hear.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I got a bet.\n\nLawrence stares at him, sensing something harder.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I come in, same score now, first one\nto eleven. Black boys against the\nwhite boys.\n\nLawrence looks back to his boys in disbelief.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Name your price, Cracker.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>No money...for the court. We win, you\ngrab your shit and find a different\nplace to run. Not just today...\nforever. You win, and we don't come\nback. No hitching, no fighting, here\nin front of everyone. Six-eight, our\nball.\n\nThe action around the court gets very still. Finally,\nLawrence nods.\n\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>You got a lot of fucking balls, man.\nBring it. Right now.\n\nDerek pulls off his sweatshirt and gives it to Stacey.\nLawrence gets his team together.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. COURT - BLACK VERSUS WHITE\n</b>\nNo more mixed assemblage of players. One team is white, \none team is black.\n\n<b>A SERIES OF SMOTS\n</b>\nDerek blows by Lawrence for a left handed layup. Derek\nhits a thirty looter. Curtis grabs a rebound and uses\nhis elbows to get defenders off him. Big Lawrence fouls\nDerek hard and Derek stares at him. Big Lawrence makes a\ntwenty foot turnaround. Lawrence advances on a three on\ntwo and dunks it. Derek pump fakes three times and uses\nthe glass for a deuce. Finally, Derek drives the lane\nand dishes to Seth at the last minute for a bucket.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Yes! Ten a piece! Nice fucking dish.\n<b> \n</b>SETH and CURTIS slap Derek's hand as they get back on\ntransition. Derek stares at Lawrence. CAMMERON watches\nintently.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>It's all you, Der!\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Fuckin' BYU, man! All right! All we\nneed is one now!\n\nLawrence and Derek lock eyes, a look exceeding\ncompetitive boundary. A look filled with rage.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Use that fat ass and keep him out,\nSeth!\n\nSeth and the opposing player bang to get position\nunderneath.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>I ain't losin' in my house! Clear it \nout!\n\nThe POWER FORWARD dribbles beautifully up the court --\nhis teammates clearing out the key. Defensively, Derek\nis solid. He tries to pass Derek but Derek's defense is\nstifling. Again. With another tricky move, Lawrence\ninadvertently puts his LEFT ELBOW into Derek's face,\nsending him quickly to the pavement. EVERYBODY STOPS.\n\n<b> CURTIS\n</b>That's fuckin' offense!\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Get the fuck outta here! He was\nmovin' his feet!\n\nDerek, teeth bloodied, rises. The two have a stare down.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(threateningly)\nI'll go if you want to.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>You wanna piece! Bring it!\n\nPlayers quickly rush to restrain the two even though the\nteams hate each other.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>If you wanna go...I'm ready. Don't be\nthrowin' fuckin' elbows.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Fuck you!\n\nDerek walks over to Cammeron, Danny and Stacey standing\ncourtside. She has a water bottle and a towel waiting\nfor him. He wipes his BLOODY LIP and takes a sip.\nCameron stares at Derek.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Hey. Are you copacetic?\n\nDerek nods and looks at Danny and Stacey.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>He's gonna do that 180 spin move.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I know what he's gonna do.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You gotta call offense on that shit.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not on point game you don't.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Fuck that, D. That chucker can't pull\nthat shit. It's fucking-\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not on point, honey.\n\nHe turns back to the court and walks over to Lawrence.\nHe stands in front of him and checks the ball in.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nTens!\n\nLawrence takes the ball, passes it to the wing, and\nquickly gets it back. Lawrence dribbles up top, makes a\nmarvelous 180 spin with the ball, and pulls up for a ten\nfoot jumper. Derek reads it perfectly and REJECTS IT.\nLawrence trips to the ground, Derek grabs the ball off\nthe fast break and DUNKS IT.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (amazed by the dunk)\nHoly shit!\n\nEverybody courtside goes nuts. Derek walks to the\nsideline, ignoring all the hand slaps being offered.\nEveryone is riveted on Derek.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (to the other team)\nGet off my fucking court! This is my\nhouse!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Yeah! Fuck...yeah!\n\nA sweaty Derek pulls his little brother close. He takes\na drink of water, spits out more blood, looks at his\nbitter opponent, and says nothing.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. STREET - BY THE COURT\n</b>\nDerek, Danny, Seth, Cammeron, Curtis and Stacey stand\noutside the Bronco. The doors are all open and the\nstereo softly plays music in the b.g. Derek dries off.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Derek throws a shirt and tie over his\nsweaty, tattooed body. Danny watches the tats disappear,\nand it's almost like his brother is normal. A name tag\nreads LA COPY CENTER - DEREK - ASSISTANT MANAGER.\n\nDerek looks at JEROME and LAWRENCE from afar. Danny\nnotices the two men stare at his brother, ready to kill.\nDerek meets their gaze.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BOARDWALK - PRESENT - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nDanny awakens from his daydream. The black players now\nstare at him. Danny puts his board down and skates down\nthe boardwalk.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>It was only the beginning.\n (then)\nDerek once told me that minorities\nwould take America over one day. That\nwhite people are too afraid. Maybe he\nwas right.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. SMALL BEACH HOUSE - A PATIO\n</b>\nDanny skates up to the gate and kicks his board up to his\nhand. He passes two SURFBOARDS on his way towards the\nback.\n\n<b>EXT. SIDE ENTRANCE - TWO 14-YEAR-OLDS\n</b>\nLIZZY, the redhaired beauty from earlier, and her blond\nfriend KAMMI, sturable out and laugh. They're stoned.\n\n<b> KAMMI\n</b>Hey! Danny!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(smiling)\nHey.\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>You're going tonight, right?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>Where?\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>That party. Go there.\n\nThe two young girls giggle and take off.\n\n<b>INT. TINY, MESSY BEDROOM - SAME\n</b>\nJASON and CHRIS, two 17-year-old skinheads with shaved\nheads, prepare to hit the surf. Chris sings to\nINSTITUTIONALIZED BY SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the stereo\nwhile Jason throws on a ZOG T-SHIRT, the tops of their\nfullsuits hang down.\n\n<b> DANNY (O.S)\n</b>There's dick for waves.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>I don't care. I just wanna get wet.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He flips through a book titled TURNER\nDIARIES. On the nightstand to his left is a digital\nclock that reads 4:47 p.m.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I've been trying to buy this. You \ncan't find it anywhere.\n\nThe two look at Dan.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Cammeron dropped us off a copy. Dope\nfucking shit, man. It's all about\nreclaiming the country. I'll let you\nread it when I'm done.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fuck that. I just read Mein Kampf.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>There you go.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Hey? What was this Daryl shit you\nwere talking about?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Henry Hastings almost kicked Daryl\nDawson's ass. He would're too if--\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Little Henry the negroid?\n\nDanny nods.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Everyday there's something over there,\nman.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Why do you think we fuckin' quit?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hear you.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Daryl Dawson's a pussy faggot.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. BOARDWALK - DANNY, JASON AND CMRIS - LATER\n</b>\nThe three skateboard down the strand, Jason and Chris\nwith their surfboardS and suits. Chris looks at Jason's\nshirt.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>What's ZOG again?\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Zionist somethin'.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Zionist-Occupational-Government.\n\nAhead an OLD ASIAN WOMAN tows a succession of SHOPPING\nCARTS. As Jason passes, he smacks her with his surfboard\nand knocks her to the ground. They all laugh and Danny\nbreaks off and heads east on Rose.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. DUMPY APARTMENT - TIGHT ON TEARY EYES\n</b>\nDAVINA VINYARD, in a UCLA T-SHIRT and panties, cries on\nthe couch as she hugs a LONG HAIRED Derek. DORIS sobs as\nshe lays under a pink blanket, burdened by the flu.\nShirtless Derek grabs Doris' hand and leans over to kiss\nher.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It's gonna be fine.\n\n<b>EXT. DUMPY APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT\n</b>\nDanny skates up to his residence and looks at a car\nacross the street. Two plainclothes cops from the\nearlier meeting sit in their car and stare from afar.\nDanny goes through the gate.\n\niNT. HOUSE- SAME\n\nDanny walks in on the tearful family conclave. He stands \nthere, wishing the day would just end.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Oh man--! Come on! What are you\ncrying about now?\n\nTHE PHONE RINGS and Derek rushes down the hall to get it.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I got it.\n\nDanny looks to his mother.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Are you feeling better at all?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I need a kiss.\n\nDanny wipes away her tears, kisses her, and moves away\nquickly so he won't get sick.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DEREK ON THE PHONE\n</b>\nHe listens to the man on the other line.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> Unhuh. Unhuh. Did you expel him?\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME\n</b>\nThere's a knock on the front door and Davina answers.\nShe opens the door and tries to shut it immediately.\nSKINHEAD FAT SETH, from the game earlier, wears a GOOD\nGUYS STEREO UNIFORM. He pushes the door back open.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> What do you want!?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Open up, bitch!\n\nDavina relents and Seth enters.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (examining him)\n Jesus! Are you sure you can fit\n through the door?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Fuck off.\n (excited)\n Where is he?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> Back in his bedroom.\n\nSeth pushes Danny to the side, passes Doris and yells.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (smiling)\n Where are you, you free motherfucker?\n\nSeth moves down the hall and bangs on Derek's door.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Vinyard!\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> He's on the phone, asshole!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Fuck off.\n\n<b> DEREK (O.S.)\n</b>I'll be out in a minute!\n\nWithout pushing it, Seth undoes his pants and moves into\nthe bathroom. Danny walks down the hall.\n\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - THE CAN\n</b>\nSeth sits on the toilet. Danny pushes the door slightly\nand stares at Seth's GUN on the bathroom counter. Danny\nlooks at him. After a few seconds--\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What are you lookin' at?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm still trying to figure it out.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Come in here and I'll show you,\nmaggot.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fuck off. When'd you start carryin'?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'm dropping the kids off at the pool,\njunior. Shut the fuckin' door!\n\nDanny grabs his nose and turns to the door behind him.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Jesus! Chew your food, dude!\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DEREK\n</b>\nHe continues into the phone receiver.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>All right. Thanks. I'll take care of\nit. Yeah.\n\nDANNY'S POV. He opens the door and sees Derek on the\nphone with his back to him. Above Derek is Danny's\nsurfboard, hanging on ropes hooked to the ceiling.\n\nBlue jeans, black boots and slicked back hair, Derek\nholds his hand up and motions for Dan to be quiet. The\nsleeves of tats covering his arms, shoulders and back\n(D.O.C.) define the hatred that has engulfed his past.\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(into the receiver)\nOkay. Okay. I'm what? What channel?\n\nHe covers the receiver, turns on a ten inch TV, and flips\nto the correct channel.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (without turning)\nWhat is it, Danny?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You got pigs outside.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nI know.\n\nDerek leans over the computer to check it out.\n\n<b>INT./EXT. BEDROOM - DEREM'S POV\n</b>\nHe looks through the blinds and stares at the UNMARKED\nCAR. Danny throws his backpack on the bed and exits.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He listens to the television.\n\n<b> TV ANCROR (O.S.)\n</b>Saturday's prison release of a former\nskinhead gang leader has many\ncommunity leaders up in arms tonight.\n\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - TIGHT ON SETH\n</b>\nHe points his Glock 9mm at the mirror.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Drop the t.v., nigger.\n\nHe laughs to himself and exits.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY - SETH CONTINUED\n</b>\nHe bangs on Derek's door once more, pissed that Derek\ndidn't open it earlier. He heads for the living room.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUE TV ACTION\n</b>\nDanny, Davina, and Doris are glued to the news story on\nthe same station. Doris, once beautiful, is now aged and\ngraying. NYQUIL, PEPTO BISMOL, two PRESCRIPTION\nCONTAINERS, and a spoon rest on the coffee table.\n\n<b>TIGHT ON THE TELEVISION. A WELL-DRESSED BLACK WOMAN\n</b>speaks angrily to the reporter covering the story.\nRandom black protestors nod and comment in the\nbackground.\n\n<b> BLACK WOMAN\n</b>Maybe now whites will understand the\nmotives behind people like Malcolm X\nand the Black Panthers. Just put the\nshoe on the other foot.\n\n<b>FLASH TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. CHINO PRISON - THE VINYARDS ON NEWS FOOTAGE\n</b>\nDanny walks' towards Derek and they smile and hug. Davina\nand Doris soon join in.\n\nDavina\n\n<b> BLACK WOMAN (V/O)\n</b>Derek Vinyard deserved the death\npenalty for what he did to that young\nman! And now he walks the street as\nfree as you and I.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> {to the tv)\nWhat about OJ, bitch!?\n\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSE - TIGHT ON THE TV\n</b>\nThe news segment winds down.\n\n<b> BLACK WOMAN\n</b> (fed up, to the camera)\nThey've done it to us again.\n\nA hand reaches over to turn the channel. IT'S SETH.\nDoris, in an awful state, lays back down.\n\nTIGHT ON SETH. Tattoos cover his forearms. A BLOODY\nSNAKE is halfway tucked under his rolled-up sleeves.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Nigger lovin' Jew media calling the\nshots. Watch cartoons. It's the only\nt.v. that's safe nowadays.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>No one's safe--until we all are.\n\nSeth looks at the woman like she's from another planet.\nHe laughs and goes into the kitchen.\n\n<b>INT. KITCHEN - SETH'S POV\n</b>\nHe looks through the fridge but finds nothing. He closes\nthe door and looks at the family pictures on the door.\n\nA FAMILY SHOT of Doris, Derek, Danny, Davina, and DENNIS\nVINYARD in front of church. Seth appreciates Dennis in a\ncoat and tie. Below that, a picture of a dirty and\nrugged Dennis and a young Davina, wearing her father's\nFIRE HELMET. Danny with Doris.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Come in here, Dan.\n\n<b>INT. SMALL KITCHEN - SAME\n</b>\nHe sits and comes upon Davina's revealing CROTCH. She\nstudies and so does he. Danny walks in the kitchen and\nlooks through the fridge. He pulls out a leftover piece\nof steak and gnaws on it. Seth looks over at Dan\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Where the fuck you find that?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Goin' to Cam's party tonight?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Is Davina's ass water tight?\n\nDanny laughs.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> Hurry up and leave, Goodyear. You've \n taken your dump now go.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Listen to you. You callin' me a\n blimp, you fuckin' Democrat?!\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> Yes! I am!\n\nDanny takes a bite and laughs at Seth.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> I'm there tonight.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Oh yeah? You ask Derek?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Noo...but he's got two kegs.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Well...you can think of me drinkin'\n'em then when you're studying with\nfuckin'... White Trash in there.\n\nDavina scoffs and Seth looks up her shirt.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Where is the fucker, by the way!?\nHe's hiding from us.\n\nDavina looks up from her homework and catches the pervert\nlooking at her.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You're not even human.\n\nSeth erupts with laughter.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Is Cam playing sticks?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Of course, man.\n\nSeth drums on the table as Danny shoves the last bite\ninto his mouth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Sit down. I wanna ask you some\nquestions.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I got homework, Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Two fucking seconds, dude!\n\nDanny sits and looks at Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Tell me your convictions.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fuck off.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Tell me some of the shit you've\nlearned luckbrain or I'll pistol-whip\nyou.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>About Adolf?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>About anything. What do you believe\nin?\n\nDanny thinks to himself and smiles.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I believe in filth and destruction and\nchaos and death and greed.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What else?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I believe in my family.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Why?\n<b> DANNY\n</b>\"Respect your father and your mother.\nWhoever curses your mother and\nfather... is to be put to death.\"\nMatthew 15-4.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Good. What else? Tell me what I want \nto hear, asshole.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You mean that stuff about your mother?\n\nDavina CACKLES in the background.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You wanna get beaten?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Then tell me about Adolf and Mein.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - DAVINA\n</b>\nShe puts down her homework and looks over at Seth.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Hey Seth? Cut the shit.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'm not fuckin' talkin' to you,\nDavina, shut up! Do you believe in\nAdolf?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Yeah, man. I believe in Adolf.\n\nSeth smiles at the youth and speaks intimately.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What do you hate, Danny?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate everyone that isn't white\nProtestant.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Why? And say it with some fucking\nconviction!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Because they're a burden to the\nadvancement of the white race. Some\nof them are all right--\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>None of them are all right, Danny.\nThey're all a bunch of fucking\nfreeloaders.\n (after a beat)\nRemermber Canuneron. \"We don't know\nthem, we don't want to know them,\nthey're the fucking enemy.\" What\ndon't you like about them?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I don't know. I feel threatened by\nthem.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>They feel threatened by you!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (ignoring her)\nWhat else, Danny? And speak\nintelligently you little queer faggot.\n\nDavina's attention is rapt on her little brother.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate the fact that it's cool to be\nblack these days.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>Good.\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate this hip hop influence on white\nfuckin' suburbia.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>\nGood!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I hate Hilary Clinton and all of her\nZionist MTV pigs telling us we should\nget along. Save the rhetorical\nbullshit honey, it ain't gonna happen.\n\nSeth looks at the young man. He smiles at him with\ndistinct revelation.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>That's the best shit I've ever heard\ncome out of that mouth.\n\nTIGHT ON DAVINA. She stares at the two hate mongers.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I feel.sorry for you, Danny.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Shut up, Davina.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You shut up, you poison to fuckin'\nsociety! Get out of our house!\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (laughing)\nIs this any way to treat a guest?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Derek hates you, Seth.\n\n<b> DEREK (O.S.)\n</b>How do you know who I hate, Davina?\n\n<b>TIGHT ON DEREM VINYARD - SILENCE.\n</b>\nHe's a striking presence with his scruff, tight t-shirt\nand tats hanging down his arm. A black jacket wraps\naround his waist.\n\n<b> DAVINA (O.S)\n</b>What do you mean?\n\nSeth stands and smiles.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Hey! How are you, man? Fuckin' A.\nLong time no see. Look at that hair.\n\nSeth moves to hug his old friend but Derek offers a\nreluctant hand instead.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Gimme just one second, okay?\n\nSeth nods as Derek stares at Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Did you do a book report on Mein Kampf?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What's it to you?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (ready to kill)\nWhat's it to me?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (seeing this)\nI mean...how'd you find out?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>None of your fucking business how I\nfound out.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I thought it was a great idea.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>That figures. You're more stupid than\nhe is.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>It's nice to see you too, man.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Why'd you do it, Dan? Because of\nSeth.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Cammeron?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I did it cause I felt like it.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Oh, you do everything you feel like?\nI feel like smacking you in the\nfucking head. Would you mind if I did\na report on that?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Uhhh...yeah.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Get a clue, you dumbshit. Hey! Look\nat me! Don't be a dickhead. Sweeney\ncares about you.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (smiling)\nSweeney does? Since when?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Was that him on the phone?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Yep. So wise up. You hear me?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Sweeney's a fuckin' nigger on a power\ntrip, Vinyard. That's what he was\nlike when we were there and that's how\nhe is now. It'll never change either.\nA nigger is a nigger.\n\nDerek stares at Seth, ready to beat the fuck out of him.\nSuddenly, Doris starts in with a COUGHING ATTACK. Derek \nquickly fills a glass of water and goes in there.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - THE PINK BLANKET\n</b>\nShe coughs incessantly. Derek sits down beside her,\nhands her the water, and caresses her head. The others\nstare at her in the background.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Just put me out of my mercy.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You'll be okay. You want me to pick\nyou up any more medicine?\n\nTogether they look at all the bottles and laugh. Derek\nchecks out the couch.\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Jesus. I can't believe I ever let it\nget this bad.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>It's not that uncomfortable.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Are you gonna to live or what, Mom?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I need a cigarette.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> My ass. You smoke two packs a day.\n That's why you're spittin' phlegm.\n\nDoris coughs once again and spits green into her napkin.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>(astonished)\nJesus, Mrs. Vinyard. I think a lung\njust came up.\n\nEverybody laughs -- including Doris. Derek tenderly puts \nhis hand on his mother's cheek.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I'm high as a kite.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You got any more?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Daniel? I know you got homework.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm goin' in a second. Relax.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (interjecting to Derek)\nHey. I'm gonna re-wipe and we're out\nof here.\n\nSeth laughs as he walks down the hall.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You're a pig.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I don't like him in this house.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I knew.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>He ' s a fuckin ' loser, Nazi scumbag.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No he's not.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> Yes he is. Open your eyes.\n\nDanny looks at Derek and smiles.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Whatever, dude. I'm gonna go power\n that shit and I'll see you later.\n\nHe pats his brother on the shoulder and walks off.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Not at Cammeron's you won't see me.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (turning back)\nCome on, Der! It's gonna be fuckin'--\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> Forget it, Danny! It ain't gonna\n happen for you tonight.\n\nDanny walks off, frustrated. He crosses Seth's path,\ngets shoved into the wall, and reacts like it's an\neveryday occurrence. Seth moves out the side window and\nclimbs out.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> Hurry up. I'm starving.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> What else is new?\n\nDerek nods, looks at his mother and kisses her on the\nforehead.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'll see ya.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Okay. Be careful.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nI will.\n\nDerek follows Seth out the SIDE WINDOW and goes down the\nalley.\n\n<b>INT. APARTMENT - TIGHT ON DORIS\n</b>\nShe thinks to herself and closes her eyes.\n\n<b>EXT. SIDE STREET - SETH'S TRUCK\n</b>\nDerek looks at the oblivious cops and drops into the\npassenger's seat. Seth starts the engine and drives\naway. As the truck disappears, we pick up on a WHITE\nSOUPED UP JEEP CHEROKEE turning the corner. Tinted\nwindows, it cruises past the apartment complex.\n\n<b>INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - A DESK\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nDanny's attention is everywhere except on his homework.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> This sucks.\n\nHe walks back out of his bedroom.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY/LIVING ROOM - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nHe watches Davina complete her homework on the couch.\nDoris, on the sofa opposite, tries to sleep.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Hey.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Hey what?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come here.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>\nWhat!?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come here for a second!\n\nThe scholar sets her homework aside and impatiently\nfollows him down the hall.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - TWO SINGLE BEDS\n</b>\nShe sits on the edge of DANNY'S bed. Danny hands her his\nassignment instructions.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I got shit to do, Dan.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Just read it.\n\nShe sighs and begins to read it out loud.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>\"American History X? Take home paper\nas assigned by Principal Robert\nSweeney?\"\n (to Danny)\nWhy is he giving you homework? What\nhappened to Murray?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Asshole turned me in.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>Why?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Just read.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>\"Describe in detail your opinion of\n-the historical event that took place\nin the early morning of October 4th,\n1993.\" What's that?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>The night Derek wasted those guys.\n\nDavina takes a moment.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Sweeney gave you this?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>\nYep.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (continuing her reading)\n\"Before and after...how has this event\nhelped or hurt your present\nperspective concerning life in\ncontemporary America. Use the\nstandard five paragraph format, blab\nblab blah--this'll be good for you..\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Nooo...it'll be good for you.\n\nShe stares at him for a good three seconds.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Eat me, Dan.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come on! Dick Nixon's playin' at\nCammeron's tonight. You owe me.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I'm not doing your homework for you!\nI gotta spreadsheet due!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Goddammit!\n\nDavina walks to the door and looks back to her brother.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>What's the matter with you? You wanna\nbe a fuckin' loser your whole life?\n\nNot receiving a response, she walks out the door.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Asshole Sweeney.\n\nHe slowly begins to strike the computer keys. The screen\nreads \"People look at me and they see my brother. That's\nthe way things have gone since the murder of our father,\"\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. The frustated kid sits and thinks to himself.\nhimself.\n\n<b>QUICK CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - NIGHT - FLASHBACK\n</b>\n\nTHE BROAD EXPANSE OF AN EMPTY, DIMLY LIT PARKING LOT. In\nthe distant corner we see a few parked cars and a group\nof skins gathering.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>It was lunacy after he left us. All\nthe time. Derek believed in\nCammeron...he was angry...that\ncombination gave them bodies. White\npunks...sick of gettin' their asses\nkicked by black and mexican gangs at\nschool.\n\n<b>TIGHT ON DANNY LEANING AGAINST AN ADJACENT CAR.\n</b>\nSeven skins, including Seth and Curtis, smoke and wait.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Danny looks to his left and sees Derek with\nCammeron, who sits in the driver's seat of the BRONCO.\nStacey leans in from the backseat.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>I hope you kill that fucker.\n\nDerek looks back at her and straight to Cameron.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>He might have a gun.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Are you going in or not?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You know I got the cops on me. If I\ncome up on one of those cameras I'm a\ndead man.\n\nDerek stares at the older man, who appears nervous.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Somebody needs to drive, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (referring to his mouth)\nAll right. You can turn it off now.\n (back to Stacey)\nYou're right on his tail, right?\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b> (nodding)\nI hate that fucking Korean. I hope\nyou smash his face in.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Just be ready, okay?\n\nShe nods and Derek gets out. The group is silent.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come on. Let's pull it together.\nHey! We're not playing fuckin' games\nhere. Let's go.\n\nThe group snaps to attention behind him as Seth toys with\nthe camera. CURTIS from earlier takes a hit off a joint\nand makes Derek wait for him. Derek walks over to the\ncrazy man, takes the joint, and throws it onto the\nground.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the fuck, Curtis? You a fuckin'\nnigger now? Want some crack?\n\n<b>CURTIS\n</b>No.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (grabbing his neck)\nPull your fucking stupid head out of\nyour ass then.\n\n<b> CURTIS\n</b>Okay. Jesus.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to the group)\nWe're here tonight cause we got\nimmigration problems spiralling out of\ncontrol. We got Asians up the ass...\ntaking over our land with their\nfucking Yen. Mexicans...flocking into\nthis place like some giant fucking\nPinata was shattered.\n\nThe group busts up. Cammeron watches Derek and smiles.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Don't laugh. It's tragic. On the\nStatue of Liberty it says \"Give me\nyour tired, your hungry, your poor,\nyour huddled masses...yearning to be\nfree.\" It does not say give me your\nshiftless, your greedy, your indolent,\nyour criminals, looking for a free\nticket.\n\nThe group agrees.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We're here tonight to show the\ngovernment how we feel about\nminorities taking over our country.\nThe treat us like criminals while they\nreward them with jobs and fucking\nwelfare checks. And it's only getting\nworse.\n\n<b> ET AL\n</b>(nodding)\nFuck yeah it is.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Are you ready to do something about\nit? \n\n<b>ET AL\n</b>Yeah.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Okay then.\n\nAND THEY'RE MOVING. In formation. Fast. Directly at\nus. Angry.\n\nAs the camera swings into line, TRACKING WITH THEM, Derek\nreaches into his back pocket and pulls out a STOCKING\nMASK. He pulls it down over his face.\n\nThe foot soldiers follow him in unison.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (back to his troops)\nRemember. No names. Danny? Stay\nright on my fucking ass, man.\n\nAnd now they're getting ahead of us. As the CAMERA\nSWINGS behind them, we see their destination.\n\n<b>EXT. LIGHTED GROCERY STORE - SAME\n</b>\nThey storm the front entrance. The few people who are in\nthere scream and scramble for cover. Derek grabs a\nMexican boxboy and throws him to the ground. Seth\ncatches up to another and gets him on the ground.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Wheto's your fucking green card,\nasshole?\n\nSeth kicks the young man in the face with a blatant shot\nand continues. DEREK leaves a terrified white woman\nalone like she's not even there and pushes over an\nadjacent shelf, knocking over another worker with CANS OF\n<b>BEANS.\n</b>\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(referring to the border)\nCan't hide from me, motherfucker!\n\nHe kicks the man and looks around the market for more.\nDanny watches in awe. Curtis breaks a giant jelly jar\nover a head. Another skin throws a BLACK CHECKER into a\nshelf of POTATO CHIPS.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He looks up at one of the aisle mirrors.\n\n<b>INT. BACK STOCK AREA - THE 55-YEAR-OLD KOREAN OWNER\n</b>\nHe rushes out with a pistol. He takes aim on Curtis and--\n<b>FROM OUT OF NOWHERE, DEREK TAKES A MOP TO THE OWNER'S\n</b>HEAD AND PROCEEDS TO KICK HIM. Danny looks at Derek like\nhe's Superman.\n\nDerek looks to his watch and straightens up.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Let's go! We're outta here! Move !\n\nFrom just inside the door we see skins get in their last\nblows and pour out the aisles and pass us through the\ndoors. TIRES SCREECH. THE CAMERA HOLDS ON THE WRECKAGE\n<b>OF THE MARKET AND THE MOTIONLESS BODIES ON THE FLOOR;\n</b>\n<b>INT. BRONCO - TIGHT ON DANNY\n</b>\nHe takes off his stocking mask and stares at his stone-\nfaced brother.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>And before Derek could even blink...he\nhad a crazed army behind him.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - PRESENT - THE COMPUTER\n</b>\nDanny sparks up a cigarette and types on the screen.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Willing to follow his word like it was\nthe word of God.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BEACH HOUSE - A RAINY NIGHT - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nAs the rain falls, we see the Vinyards sitting at the\ntable. Stacey and Murray Rosenberg, Doris' then\nboyfriend who we met earlier, round out the clan. Stacey\nsits close to Derek.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>And then came October 4th, 1993.\n\n<b>INT. BEACH HOUSE - THE DINING ROOM\n</b>\nDoris looks wonderful while Murray, mustache and beard,\nshakes his head at Derek as he chatters away.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Things were fine on the homefront. My\nMom had a good job but a below average\nboyfriend. We had a four-bedroom\nhouse that Dad left us with. Everyone\nwas happy.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. Shaved head, rolled-up sleeves, tattoos,\nloosened tie, LA COPY CENTER name tag from earlier. His\ncharisma draws their attention as he rambles over the\ncrackling rainfall.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Everyone but Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck you, Murray. White men don't\ncruise the streets of LA killing each\nother.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>No. You guys make bombs.\n\nDerek stares at the man, eyes filled with homicide.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You're so fucking lame. A couple of\ncranks in cabins in Montana is not\nstatistically significant.\n (then)\nWhite Americans don't take PCP and\ndrink and drive a hundred and twenty\nfuckin' miles an hour! We pull over\nand trust the law.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>You're kidding, right?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (sarcastically)\nDon't you know, Murray? White people\nnever break the law. We're perfect\nlittle angels.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>That's not what I said, Davina.\n (to the group)\nThree different times Rodney King\ncomes at those officers with the\nintent to hurt them. To hurt them!\nThree times! But since we see it on\nsome fucking tampered videotape...the\nbleeding heart media makes you believe\nthat he only comes at them once. All\nwe see is Powell, Koon and Wind\nhittin' him and--\n (busting up laughing)\nBriseno kickin' him in the back of the\nfuckin' skull with his boot. Still,\nthe dumbfuck's tryin' to get up and\nkick their asses! That's how stupid\nthat motherfucker is. Those cops used\ntextbook-solid tactics and if Dad were\nstill here he'd say the same damn\nthing.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>That doesn't make it right.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Yes it does. Yes it does. They're\ncops! They are taught to use that\nstick and they did.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Excessively.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>No. Appropriately. Appropriately!\nCops have been granted a certain\namount of authority by society and\nwhite people, unfortunately, are the\nonly ones who acknowledge it. I\nacknowledge a cop's authority.\n\nDavina starts to laugh.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Look who's talking about respecting\nthe law? Mr. K.K.K. here.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>That's two errors in one sentence,\nDavina, so take a fucking course in\nsemantics. First error--I didn't say\nI respect the law. I said I respect a\ncop's authority. Second error...I'm\nnot a member of the fuckin' low rent,\ndisorganized, redneck Ku Klux Klan..\nPull your head outta your ass and look\nat who you're dealing with.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>Don't speak to her that way, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Murray, stay out of it. You're not a\nmember of this family and you never\nwill be.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>What the hell does that have to do\nwith anything?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> (to Derek)\nYou know...sometimes it's hard to\nbelieve I gave birth to you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Give thanks to the food on the table\nand then believe it, Doris.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>We both put food on this table, fella.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>True enough. The point is...if Dan\nwas walking across the street that\nnight and Rodney King plowed into him--\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Can we forget about Rodney King for\nchrissake?!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (fiercely continuing)\n--while hopped up on Chivas and\nP.C.P...you'd consider the force those\ncops used to be justified!\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He didn't hit anybody!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>If he did though! If that shithead\nkilled Dan...you would have believed\nthe beating to be justified and so\nwould everybody else. But since he\ndidn't hit anyone...it's \"Hands Across\nAmerica\" for the son of a bitch.\n\nDerek takes a bite of food.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We are still so hung up in this notion\nthat we have an obligation to help the\nstruggling black man and all you\ncontribute to it! Lincoln freed the\nslaves a hundred and thirty years ago!\nGet off your fucking asses!\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>I'm with you, honey. All the way.\nIt's one...giant...ploy.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Here we go.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>I mean...nobody likes Chief whatever\nhis name is, right?\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>Gates.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Yeah. So here comes this filthy piece\nof garbage in his Hyundai. He pulls\nover in front of a perfectly lighted\narea where a video camera is sitting\nthere...fucking waiting for him, man.\nWhat happens next? Chief Gates is\ndust. It's total--\n\nDavina drops her silverware on the plate with a clatter\nand looks at her mother. Everyone stares at Davina.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (to Doris)\nMay I be excused please?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Don't interrupt, Davina.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>I didn't interrupt shit.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>The hell you didn't. I was listening\nto Stacey and then I heard you.\nThat's called interrupting. Wait 'til\nshe's finished and you can be excused.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Who the hell do you think you are?\n\nDerek jumps up from the table and grabs her by the back\nof the hair. The table JOLTS and plates tumble to zhe\nfloor. \n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You don't know when to shut up.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Dammit Derek!\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>What are you trying to prove, man?!\n\nDerek turns and laughs at Murray.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm trying to teach my sister some\nrespect, Murray.\n\n<b> DAVI NA\n</b>Let go of my fucking hair!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to Murray)\nSee! See the way she speaks! Tell me\nyou're gonna shut up and I'll let go.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Derek! Let go of her hair and sit\ndown!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I will when I hear an answer, Doris.\nAre you going to shut up, Davina?\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY. He gets up quickly and tries to pull\nDerek off. Derek turns and cracks Danny in the face with\na BACKHAND, dropping him back into a cabinet. A crystal\nvase with flowers crashes to the floor, just missing\nDanny's head.\n\n<b>MURRAY\n</b>\nJesus!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to Danny)\nWhat are you thinkin'?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> Danny?! Are you okay?!\n\nDanny nods his head as everyone looks at Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It's a real easy question, Davina. A\nsimple yes or no will suffice. Tell\nme what I want to hear and I'll let\ngo.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Fuck...you.\n\nDerek takes a piece of roast beef off her plate and\nshoves it in her mouth. Me holds the whole piece inside\nso she can't spit it out. Davina cries as she chokes on\nthe meat.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>She can't breathe, Derek!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Stay back, both of you! It's her bed,\nshe's gotta lie in it.\n (grabbing harder)\nYou can cry all you want, Davina. I'm\nnot gonna let go until you tell me\nwhat I wanna hear! Are you going to\nshut that fat fucking mouth of your's\nand let my girlfriend tell her\nopinion? Are you?!\n\nDORIS grabs him from behind and he aggressively turns on\nher. Derek curls his tongue behind his teeth and raises\nhis arm like he's actually going to smack his mother.\nShe grabs his arm though, forcefully.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Let go of her hair and get out.\n\nDerek releases his grip on his sister and she spits the\nroast beef onto the floor. She runs into the back\nbedroom crying, choking and coughing.\n\n<b> DAVINA (O.S)\n</b>I hate you, you fucking asshole!\n\nThe door slams shut in the background. Doris, Murray,\nDanny, and Stacey all stare at Derek. Derek calmly faces\nhis brother.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You okay?\n\nDanny nods.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b> (softly)\nPsycho.\n\nIN SLO MO--Time FREEZES as Derek slowly turns his head\nback to Murray. ON THE TRACK we hear a few keys being\ntyped and then silence. A cigarette sizzles.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY THINKING - PRESENT\n</b>\nHe takes a long drag off his cigarette and exhales. He\nslowly runs his hands over his stubbly head, marveling at\nthe past.\n\n<b>BACK QUICKLY TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. DINING ROOM - TIGHT ON DEREK - FLASHBACK CONT.\n</b>\nDerek smiles at Murray in wonder and disbelief.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Would you care to repeat that, Murray?\nI'm not sure I got all of it.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b> (smiling)\nHe called you a \"psycho\", honey.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (smiling back)\nWas that it? Thanks Murray.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>See. Here we go again with this,\nDerek. Making me out to be the bad\nguy again.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>You callin' me a liar, RosenKike?\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>(to Stacey)\nHey goddammit! You talk to me with\nrespect or--!\n\n\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Or what, Murray!? What're you gonna\ndo? Give her fucking detention?\n\n<b> DORIS \n</b>Both of you get out right now.\n\nMurray stares at Derek with pity. Doris becomes\nemotional.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> (to Derek)\nDo you think you're the only one who's\naffected around here?\n\nDerek focuses on his mother for a moment. A captivated\nDanny watches and waits as Derek turns to Murray.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Out of respect for my mother...I'm\ngonna let that comment go, Murray. I\nwon't bash your face in. But let me\ntell you somethin'...man to fuckin'\nmouse here. Normally in a situation\nlike this I'd take my steel-tips to\nyour fucking Jewish temple. That goes\nfor anyone making comments about me,\nmy family, Stacey, whomever. You know\nand I know that I could crush that\npuny fuckin' skull of yours in a\nsecond. So it's beyond me why you\nwould say something like that without\nbeing able to back it up? What's\nworse, you sack of shit, is you\ncalling the woman I love a liar.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>I never said she was a liar.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Weasel like that again Murray...you\nfuckin' ponytail, pussy, bagel eating,\nteacher, faggot...and I'll cut your\nshylock nose off. Make no mistake.\n\nMurray silently walks out of the house. Derek claps and\nsings the Jewish celebration song \"Hava Naghila.\" Stacey\njoins in and the two laugh. Doris goes after Murray.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Murray Rosenberg...International Jew.\n\n<b>EXT. STREET - NIGHT\n</b>\nMurray goes to his car and Doris follows. Danny watches\nfrom the door.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He's a stupid kid, Murray! I'm sorry!\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>He's not a kid, Doris. We were kids.\nWe didn't call people kikes.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>It's just gonna take some time with\nhim. What can I do?\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>You don't know your children, Doris!\nYou have no clue about the world they\nlive in. Your son is a terrorist.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He's not a terrorist, Murray. Jesus!\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>He's a member of the Disciples of\nChrist. You remember that grocery\nstore incident?!\n\n<b>DORIS\n</b>\nMurray?\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b>My sister and her two kids got\nevacuated from her Temple in Woodland\nHills!\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Murray! Please! Derek would never\nhave anything to do with bombs, okay?!\nYou don't know him like I do.\n\n<b> MURRAY\n</b> And I wouldn't want to. Goodbye.\n\nMurray gets inside and goes down the street.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - SAME\n</b>\nDANNY'S POV -- He watches Doris stand alone, her face in\nher hands, crying.\n\nBEHIND Dan a humiliated Davina storms towards Derek, now\nwielding a BASEBALL BAT.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>\nDavina?\n\nDerek hears Dan and looks out of the corner of his eye.\nHe spots her at the last moment.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Take this, you fucking dick!\n\nDerek pops up quickly, disarms her, and pulls her close.\n\n<b> DEREK \n</b>Davina! It's okay! Calm down. \nPlease.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Fuck you! Let go!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (whispering in her ear)\nI'm sorry, Davina. Come on.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Let go of me!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come on, Davina. I'm sorry. I lost\ncontrol. Please. I screwed up.\n\nDerek holds tight until the crying girl settles down.\nHe's gripped as desperately by remorse as he was moments\nbefore by rage. He kisses and repeats his apology over\nand over. Finally, she succumbs and puts her arms around\nhim. Derek looks to Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (hugging Davina)\nYou guys are my life and I'd do\nanything for you. You do know that?\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (wiping her tears)\nI don't believe you anymore.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I swear to God I would, Davina.\nPlease.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I believe you, Der.\n\nDerek smiles at his little brother, lovingly.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Davina? Please forgive me. Please.\nI'm sorry.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (nodding, after a beat)\nThat fuckin' sucked, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I know it did. And I'm sorry.\nI just really hate that guy.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>You couldn't tell.\n\nA RAINSOAKED DORIS walks through the front door.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Find an apartment because I want you\nout of here.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Morn, I'm sorry but that guy's--\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I don't wanna hear it anymore! I want\nyou out!\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>He can move in with me.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>When?\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Tomorrow.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Good.\n\nShe walks past Derek and into the back bedroom.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY'S EYES - PRESENT\n</b>\nHe rises from the computer and PEEKS out the blinds. The\ntwo cops supposedly watching Derek are now eating in the\ncar. One of them looks up. Danny flips the blinds down.\nFrom the other room, he hears Doris break into another\ncoughing fit.\n\n<b>INT. LIVING ROOM - DANNY\n</b>\nHe sits beside her and hands her a glass of water.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>Here.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Thank you, honey.\n\nShe coughs, recovers, and sips. Danny walks away.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Hey. Come here. Sit with me.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I've got this thing to do.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You can sit down for two seconds.\n\nHe looks at her and sits beside her.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Don't breathe on me.\n\n<b>DORIS\n</b>I won't.\n\nThey share a smile.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It's cold in here, no wonder your\nsick.\n\nShe stares and smiles at him for a few moments.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>What?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>What? I'm not allowed to look at you\nanymore?\n\nHe smothers her face with his hand, jokingly.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>No. You're not.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b> (laughing)\nDaniel Patrick! Stop it! Are you\never gonna let that beautiful hair\ngrow back?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Nope. Never.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I bet you will.\n\nHe smiles and locks eyes with his mother for several\nmoments. He finally rises and walks back to his room.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Get some sleep.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>If you need me to proof anything for\nyou I will.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'll be all right.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Wake up early if you get tired.\n\nDoris watches him disappear down the hall, distant\nthoughts creeping back slowly.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM CLOSET - DANNY\n</b>\nHe grabs a flannel and throws it on. He sees a cigar box\nthat rests on the right shelf. He grabs it and looks\ninside. The rolled-up LA TIMES clipping reads \"Prominent\nSkinhead Charged with Murder.\" The accompanying picture\nof Derek is near evil.\n\nTIGHT ON HIS EYES. Danny stares at the clipping. ON THE\n<b>TRACK--GUNSHOTS.\n</b>\n<b>MATCH CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM WINDOW - THE EYES - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nHe watches Derek fire his gun at the TRANS AM as it\nblazes down the street. He walks over to the wounded man\non the lawn and points his weapon.\n\n<b> STACEY (O.S.)\n</b>Get on the floor, Danny! Jesus!\n\nDanny looks down at her and hurries out of his room.\n\n<b>EXT. HOUSE - TIGHT ON DEREK\n</b>\nHe hovers over big Lawrence. Gun pointed steadily, he\nkicks him in the stomach over and over -- tongue pressed\nagainst teeth. Hot air flows from Derek's breath and\ninto the cold.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> You fucked with the wrong bull.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b> Goddamn, man!\n\nDanny watches his brother from the front porch.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> Let the cops handle it, Der!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck that. The cops will let him\nwalk.\n\nDerek grabs Lawrence and drags him to the CURB.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Ever shoot at firemen, you fuck?\n (then)\nOpen your mouth and put it on the\ncorner of the curb. I'm gonna teach\nyou a little lesson.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Derek!?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Get in the fucking house, Dan!\n\nDanny doesn't move.\n\n<b> LAWRENCE\n</b>Come on, man. Call an ambulance.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>My dad gave me that truck,\nmotherfucker. Couldn't leave well\nenough alone. Put your mouth on the\ncorner of the fucking curb!\n\nDerek cocks his piece and Lawrence complies--his teeth\nnow scraping concrete. SIRENS sound from afar. Danny\nwalks out into the middle of the street to check it out.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>The cops are comin' Der'\n<b> \n</b>\nLawrence mumbles something unintelligible from his\noutstretched mouth.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the fuck did you say? You just\nthreaten me? Hunh? Hunh? Hunh?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(anticipating)\n\nNo!\n\nDerek STOMPS his foot on the back of LAWRENCE'S head -\ncompletely tearing his jaw in half on the curb's corner.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (crying)\nHoly fucking shit! Derek! What the\nhell was that for?! Jesus!\n\nThe two lock eyes. Derek does not flinch. Helicopter\nlights shine on the house. COP CARS SCREECH TO A HALT.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Two cops take cover behind their door, draw\ntheir guns, and shout instructions. Derek puts the gun\ndown, puts his arms behind his head, and drops to his\nknees. His eyes are remorseless.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Joseph Conrad once wrote that \"murder\nis always with us. It's almost an\ninstitution.\" That couldn't rang more\ntrue than with me.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. WET STREET - THE CRIME SCENE - LATER\n</b>\nFIVE PATROL CARS, a FIRE TRUCK, TWO AMBULANCES, and a\nthrong of terrified NEIGHBORS strangle the front of the\nhouse. Clothed and handcuffed, Derek is escorted from\nthe house by two uniformed cops and RASMUSSEN.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Bobby Lawrence died of massive head\ntrauma early that morning.\n\nDerek marches past the bodies -- which are being tended\nto thoroughly.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Six months after that...Derek was\nconvicted and sentenced to seven years\nfor voluntary manslaughter...to be\nserved at the California State\nPenitentiary in Chino.\n\nRasmussen forces Derek's head down and he gets in the\ncar. He stares at his brother and sister as police\nlights flash on him. Then to Stacey. Finally, to a\nlifeless Doris. They lock eyes as the patrol car takes\noff down the street.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Prosecutors wanted murder one for my\nbrother's torture method...but there\nwasn't enough \"premeditated\" evidence.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>OMIT\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY'S EYES\n</b>\nThey clearly focus on the computer. HIGHLIGHTED is the\nsentence \"There might have been if I testified.\" Only\nwhen he hits the DELETE KEY does it disappear. He\ncontinues typing.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b> (continuing)\n Over the next year we'd lose our house\n and the rest of our father's pension\n to attorney fees. My mother...much to\n all of our surprise...stood by Derek.\n\nDanny's interrupted by a LOUD KNOCK on the front door.\n\n<b>INT. FRONT HALL - DANNY'S POV\n</b>\nHe looks through the PEEPHOLE and sees it's CHRIS AND\nJASON. He sighs in relief and opens the door.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>We're here, dude.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Drop your dick and grab your stick.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I told you I can't tonight.\n\n<b> DORIS (O.S.)\n</b> (from the couch)\nDanny?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It's okay, Mom.\n\nThe two punks laugh as Danny pushes them and their boards \nback to his bedroom. He shuts his bedroom door.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - THE THREESOME\n</b>\nDanny looks at the two.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>If I don't finish this thing I'm dead.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Just tell 'em you'll do it tomorrow.\nYou can't miss the party.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Fire pie Lizzy called and told us to \ngrab your ass.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>She did?\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b> (nodding)\nYou gotta hit that shit. It's the \nonly fun thing that's legal anymore.\n\nThe PHONE RINGS and Danny grabs it.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Hello?\n\n<b>INT. DARK OFFICE - TIGHT ON SWEENEY\n</b>\nThe only illumination shines through the window from the \nstreet. Holding his briefcase, he stands over his desk\nphone, all packed up and almost out the door.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY (O.S.)\n</b>Yeah?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Dr. Sweeney.\n\n<b>INTERCUT THE CONVERSATION\n</b>\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (worried)\nWhat's going on?\n\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Nothing here. Is everything all right\nover there?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Everything's fine.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>How's it comin'?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm doing it right now.\n\n<b> CMRIS\n</b>Who is it, dude?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b> (covering the receiver)\nIt's Sweeney.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Who?! Why is he calling here!? Fuck\nyou, Sweeney! Asshole!\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>(grabbing the receiver)\nGet a fucking job, you reggie!\n\nDanny grabs the receiver back and yells at his friends.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>You fuckers are going to get me\nbooted!\n (into the receiver)\nDr. Sweeney? I'm sorry, man.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Just make sure it's on my desk\ntomorrow, Danny.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>It'll be there, alright!?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>It better be.\n\nSweeney hangs up abruptly. Danny slams the phone on the\nhook, gives it TME FINGER, and looks at his friends.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Let's go.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. CAMMERON'S HOUSE PARTY - NIGHT\n</b>\nA TRUCK sits across the street.\n\n<b>INT. TRUCK - DEREK AND SETH\n</b>\nThey sit in the car as a band JAMS from Cam's house.\nShiftless Seth throws on a black CRO-MAG t-shirt and\ntosses his work shirt in the back. He wolfs down a\nburger as Derek rolls his foot on a basketball on the\nfloor.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You're an idiot if you ask me.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm not asking you.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What if he writes something stupid and\nthat nigger turns you in? Jesus. He\ndidn't testify, Der. They can use\nthat shit and re-try you.\n\nDerek takes a long stare at Seth, who devourshis burger.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Sweeney's not gonna do anything, Seth.\nHe helped get me released.\n\nSeth is a pathetic vision to Derek. Derek stares at him\nfor several moments.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm out, Seth.\n\nSeth wipes his mouth and casually meets eyes with Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm only going to tell you this once\nso pay attention. I'm done, Seth. I\ndon't want you to come near me...near\nDan...I want you to leave my family\nalone.\n\nSeth stares and laughs at Derek.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You're serious.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm dead fucking serious. No more\nphone calls, no more visits, no more\nnothing.\n\nSeth doesn't know what to say.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We don't exist as far as you're\nconcerned, Seth.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I can't believe I'm hearing this shit\ncome out of your mouth.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Believe it, Seth. Believe it. I\nspent over three years away from my\nfamily. My family, Seth. For what?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>For your country, fuckhole, that's\nwhat. I'd do a hundred years before I\nfelt like that.\n\nSeth gets out, slams the door, and walks to the party.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> You're a motherfucking traitor!\n\nDerek stares out the window and sighs.\n\n<b>EXT. STREET - DEREK'S POV\n</b>\nHe watches the house. Suddenly, Danny, Chris and Jason\nskate up to the residence and follow Seth inside.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the--? Shit.\n\n<b>INT. CAMMERON'S HOUSE - THE FRONT DOOR\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nDICK NIXON plays a punk version of WHITE CHRISTMAS as\nskins slam dance.\n\n<b>EXT. CAMMERON'S BACK PATIO - A SKINHEAD\n</b>\nHis face is tattooed with crow's feet and prison ink.\nCASSANDRA, a frail, older, English woman with green hair\nand multiple piercings, approaches JASON at the keg.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>You're full of shit!\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>If he ain't here, he's comin'.\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE - MORE SLAMMING\n</b>\nChris, Danny and Jason pound beer and huck DARTS at a\npicture of O.J. SIMPSON. Seth violently slams past the\nkids. Derek walks in.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Yo! What's up, Fat Seth!?\n\nSeth throws Chris against the wall.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'm not fat, cockwart! I'm husky!\n\n<b> CMRIS\n</b>Okay! I'm sorry, bro!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Take it easy, dude!\n\nSeth then grabs Danny hard by the shirt. Chris and Jason\nstare at him like he's gonna hurt him.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What're you doin'?!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Your brother's a piece of shit!\n\nSeth sees Derek enter and he releases Danny. Seth mixes\ninto the party and SLAM DANCES into ten other skins.\nDanny follows Seth towards the keg.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He analyzes the crowd. Quickly, Chris\nrecognizes him.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>Holy shit. Father Vinyard!?\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>Son of a bitch.\n\nDerek looks at the two kids.\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>I'm Jason and that's Chris! We're\nfriends with your brother!\n\nThey stick out their hands but Derek prefers to check the\nscene.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>You're a fuckin' god, man!\n\n<b>JASON\n</b>\nNo shit!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Do me a favor. Grab Danny and get\noutta here!\n\nThe two boys look at each other and LAUGH.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>We just got here, man!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You what!?\n\nChris looks at Derek like he's dead.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You don't have any homework?!\n\n<b> JASON\n</b>School doesn't exist anymore, Father.\n\nDerek stares at him, not really knowing what to do.\n\n<b> CHRIS\n</b>I wrote you. Two letters while you\nwere in there! Did you get them?!\n\nDerek ignores them and weaves his way through the crowd,\ncausing many an individual to double-take. Chris and\nJason look on in wonderment.\n\n<b>EXT. LARGE, OPEN SHED AREA - A CROWD\n</b>\nTIGHT ON CAMMERON ALEXANDEr. The older, white trash skin\nfuriously bangs his sticks on the drums to the song.\nCam's hair is still long but now he's got a swastika\nbetween his eyebrows like CHARLES MANSON. He wears TROY\nAIKMAN'S DALLAS JERSEY and a BLACK COWBOY HAT.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He pans right to check out the crowd. A\nman pisses out the window. Then to a distinct woman.\n\nIT'S STACEY. Her head is now completely SHAVED but she's\nstill gorgeous as ever. Derek indulges her for a few\nmoments until he turns and walks away. He bumps into a\ngirl and knocks her drink.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>Excuse fuckin' me!\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nSorry.\n\nShe smiles at Derek as the SONG comes to a close.\n\n<b>CASSANDRA\n</b>\nDerek?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Cassandra.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>Oh my God! They said you might be\nhere but I didn't fucking believe 'em!\n\nCURTIS, the M-16 on the side of his head perfectly\nintact, walks by Derek. He walks past Derek with his\nyoung son on his shoulders.\n\n<b> CURTIS\n</b>I hope what I heard ain't true, man.\nYou better hightail it the fuck outta\nhere if it is.\n\nAfter a moment, Derek looks away and Curtis heads off.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>You gotta chop that mop, Der!\n\nCassandra lights a brown menthol cigarette.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b> (exhaling)\nStacey's meandering around here\nsomewhere! Have you seen the bitch?!\n\nDerek shakes his head.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>The only person I've seen is Seth.\n\n<b>CASSANDRA\n</b>Oh God. I'm sorry.\n\nDEREK'S POV. He sees Cameron puts his arm around her\nand kiss her. Cameron sticks his hand down the back of\nher pants, smiles, pulls it out, and licks his finger.\n\nDerek watches as Danny delivers a beer to Cammeron. Ca\nputs his arm around Dan and they go into the bedroom.\nStacey looks at Derek and follows them.\n\n<b> LIZZY (0. S. )\n</b>Are you going in there?\n\nDerek looks down to see Lizzy and Kammi.\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>Can you tell Danny that Lizzy's\nlooking for him?\n\nDerek can only stare at the girl's youth.\n\n<b>INT. LARGE BEDROOM/OFFICE - A SHRINE TO HITLER\n</b>\nDEREM'S PoV. He stands in the doorwell and listens.\nWhite Power paraphernalia cover the walls. Articles,\nposters, everything. The room has a bed, a couch, a\nglass coffee table and a desk with a computer on it.\nOrganized stacks of papers, pamphlets and magazines are\nstrewn throughout the floor. Cameron sips a beer and\ntalks with Dan. Stacey listens in the background.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>He won't do anything'drastic I hope.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I gotta do that paper though.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I thought you already turned that\nfucker in?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>My teacher cried to Sweeney, man.\nhave to do another one.\n\nCammeron laughs.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Oh man. Fucking Sweeney.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b> (chiming in)\nMeanwhile, niggers and spics do their\nreports on Malcolm X and fucking Fidel\nCastro.\n\nCameron laughs again but then becomes quickly serious.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Sweeney's got an agenda, Danny. And\nit's all a load of crap. You hear me?\nHe's all about brainwashing. Don't\nget fucking fooled by it.\n\n<b> DEREK (O.S.)\n</b>What the hell are you doing here, Dan?\n\nThey all look over.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (smiling)\nHey. I was wondering when he was\ngoing to show his face.\n\nDerek doesn't lift his eyes from Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What did I tell you, Dan?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I had to check it out, Der. Come on.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> He'll be all right, Derek.\n\nDerek shoots Cameron a look and tries another way.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> There's a redhead out there looking\n for you. Go talk to her.\n\nDanny gets up and walks out. Cam looks to Stacey.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> You go with.\n\nDerek seizes his brother with the eyes as he exits. Then\nStacey.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Welcome back.\n\nHe just closes the door on her. Cammeron looks for his\ncigarettes.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You made it, man. When I heard they\nthrew you in General Population I\nthought it was curtains.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It wasn't too bad.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>So what's all this self-righteous,\nborn-again shit I'm hearing then?\n\nDerek doesn't blink. Cameron smiles and points to a\nchair.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Have a seat, Derek. Relax.\n\nTIGHT ON CAMMERON. He sparks up a cigi to break Derek's\nuncomfortable stare.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>How was it in there with all those\nfuckin' monkeys, man? You're lucky\nthey didn't kill you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I agree.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Who runs the place? The monkeys or\nthe wetbacks?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>The Mexicans.\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>It's a fuckin' vacation for them in\nthere, hunh?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They were really organized. I'll tell\nya...it was impressive. They--\n\n<b>INT. HOUSE BATHROOM - DANNY AND LIZZY\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nThe two make out. She sits on the sink and wraps her\nlegs around him. They stop and smile at each other.\n\n<b> LIZZY\n</b>I like you.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I like you, too.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. CAMMERON BEDROOM - SAME\n</b>\nDerek and Cam converse over the coffee table.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>They're fuckin' peasants, Derek. All\nof them.\n (then)\nSo what's up, man? I'm hearing a lot\nof shit about you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Be careful with me, Cam. You don't\nknow what's going on with me.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Fuckin' talk to me then. We're family\nhere. Let's work it out whatever it\nis.\n<b> \n</b><b> DEREK\n</b>I'm family, Cam? Is that why you came\nto see me all the time up there?\n\nCameron smiles but doesn't know what to say.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I had to distance myself from you\nafter that.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuck you, Cameron. You're a fucking\nchicken hawk...praying on kids.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I don't pray on fucking anyone.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>No. You fucking use them. To filter\nyour insanity.\n\nCameron smiles in disbelief.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You and Danny are like brothers to me,\nDerek. Come on, man.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>He's not your brother, Cameron. All\nright? He's my brother.\n (after a beat)\nYou hear me, Cam?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (exploding)\nFuck you, Derek! Fuck you! Don't\nthink you can threaten me with this\nshit for a fuckin' second! I'm more\nimportant to him now then you ever\nwere.\n\nDerek EXPLODES. With his feet, he pushes the GLASS\nCOFFEE TABLE hard into Cammeron's knees. Cam screams in\nagony. Derek SLUGS him in the face and Cam RETALIATES\nwith two of his own. They wrestle around the room and\npush their way into the BATHROOM.\n\n<b>INT. TINY BATHROOM - DEREK AND CAM\n</b>\nDerek takes Cam by his long hair and SMASHES his face\ninto the mirror. IT SHATTERS. Derek follows with a\nsolid punch to the kidney.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You gonna listen?!\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I'm gonna fuckin' kill you.\n\nDerek bangs Cam's face against the mirror ONCE MORE.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Shut the fuck up! You're gonna stay\naway! That's what you're gonna do!\n\nDerek rinses Cam's bloody face off by PLUNGING it into\nthe toilet. He pulls him back up and they face the\nmirror.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It's over.\n\nDerek stares at him in silence. CAMMERON RETALIATES. He\nforcefully backs Derek into the wall behind him. He\nthrows two punches at Derek -- one in the stomach and one\nto the face that opens his lip. He misses on his third\nand Derek gets the upper hand.\n\nBACK TO THE MIRROR. Derek prepares to crash Cam's face\ninto the shards of glass one last time. The final blow.\nAs Cam screams, Derek launches him forward then pulls\nback at the very last moment. Derek, noticing Cam's\ncondition, throws him into the tub.\n\nDerek throws him a towel, grabs one for his lip, and\nexits.\n\n<b>EXT. SHED AREA - A GROUP OF 20 NAZI'S\n</b>\nThey SALUTE the band and chant as they tune up for\nanother set. The singer inquires about his DRUMMER.\nDerek pushes his way through and spills a few beers cn\nthe way. Cassandra smokes a cigarette with a few random\nskins as Derek passes by.\n\n<b> RANDOM SKIN\n</b>Hey Derek!?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>What?!\n\n<b>CASSANDRA\n</b>(exhaling)\nJesus, Der. What happened?\n\n<b>CURTIS\n</b>(psychotically)\nWhere's Cammeron, man?!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I haven't seen him.\n\nCassandra looks at him curiously and then focuses her\nattention to the bedroom.\n\n<b>STACEY (O/S)\n</b>\nHey!\n\nDerek turns around and faces her.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (pointing his finger)\nStay away from me.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Don't point your fucking finger at me.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm serious, Stacey! Stay away!\n\nShe grabs and pulls on his shirt.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>What are you gonna do?! Hunh?! Hit\nme?! Kick me as I roll on the fuckin'\nground screaming?!\n (then)\nThat bullshit with Cammeron is\nnothing, Derek!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I don't care.\n\nStacey looks deep into his eyes and can feel it.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Goddamn you, Derek! Those two niggers\ndeserved what they got. They deserved\nto die! And just like Cameron and\nSeth and a million others out\nthere...I'll believe that 'til the day\nI fucking die. I will. Nothing will\never change that either.\n\nDerek breaks from her grasp and walks away.\n\n<b>EXT. PATIO - DEREM'E POV\n</b>\nHe looks over to the kegs. Through the sliding glass\nwindow, he sees Seth taking a \"tap hit\" off the keg. All\nthe guys in the b.g., INCLUDING DANNY, count and cheer.\nSeth sucks the tap while skins count in the background.\nDerek walks out and watches Dan pump the keg.\n\n<b> ET AL\n</b>Forty-five! Forty-six! Forty-\nseven...!\n\nSeth removes his mouth from the tap and belches like a\npig. All the guys laugh.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (grabbing Danny)\nWhy the fuck did you pump it?! I\ncoulda gone for a minute at least!\n\nDanny looks over and meets eyes with a bloody Derek. He\nFREEZES while everyone turns to look Derek over.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Let him go, Seth.\n\nSeth sees blood on Derek's face and shirt and takes a\nmoment to identify the source. He draws his 9mm Baretta\nand points it at Derek's head from four feet away.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Where's Cameron?\n\nDerek stares directly into the BARREL.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(frightened)\nSeth, man!? Come on!\n\nSeth puts the gun directly to Derek's cool head.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>I'd be doing America a great fucking\nfavor, let me tell you.\n\n<b> STACEY\n</b>Do it, Seth.\n\nSeth glances at her and Derek quickly GRABS the pistol.\nA shot goes off and people hit the deck. Derek wrestles\nthe pistol away and punches Seth in the STOMACH. Falling\nto the ground in pain, Derek cracks him in the face once\nmore and it's over.\n\n<b>INT. CAM'S BATHROOM - CASSANDRA AND CURTIS\n</b>\nThey walk in and look at Cammeron, bleeding in the tub.\nCurtis pulls the METAL TOWEL HOLDER off the wall and\nstorms after Derek. Cassandra laughs.\n\n<b> CASSANDRA\n</b>You got fuckin' guests out there, Cam.\n\n<b>EXT. PATIO - SAME\n</b>\nDerek tosses the gun over the fence and looks to Danny.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come with me right now.\n\nHe looks at his brother. He then sees Curtis and three\nother skins come through the house. Derek stares at Dan\nand hauls ass down the back alley.\n\nDANNY'S POV. Curtis arrives and tends to Seth rather\nthan go after Derek. Confused and mildly embarrassed,\nDanny bolts back into the house to get his board.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BLVD. - SLEEPING HOMELESS\n</b>\nDanny passes them on his board as he conguers the cracks\nin the street at an incredible rate. He turns the tight\ncorner and cuts off a turning car. The man yells.\n\nDanny spots his brother walking twenty yards up on the\nleft-hand side of the street and crosses. Approaching\nquickly, he skates faster and faster as Derek nears a BUS\nSTOP BENCH. Hearing the board, Derek turns to face the\nclickity clack behind him.\n\nDANNY LUNGES FROM HIS BOARD AND TACKLES DEREE. The two\ncrash into the street as a car henks from the inside\nlane, barely missing the duo. Danny punches his brozher\nin the face.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Fucking asshole!\n\nDerek gets on top of his brother, spots a speeding car\nheading right for him, and pulls his brother to the\nsidewalk. Just in time.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What the luck are you thinking!?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What are you thinking!? Friends don't\nfight friends, Der! They stick\ntogether!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They're not friends, Dan!\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What the hell are they then?!\n\nDerek picks his brother up and sits him on a BUS STOP\n<b>BENCH.\n</b>\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Just sit there and relax for a second.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I don't wanna relax! You looked like\nan idiot back there!\n\nDerek stares and sits next to him. Cars and homeless\nrandomly pass in the b.g. Danny looks at his brother,\ntransfixed in thought.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>What's happened to you, Derek?\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He looks into his brother's eyes.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO BLACKNESS:\n</b>\n<b>INT./EXT. CHINO PRISON - ESTABLISHING SHOTS\n</b>\n<b>FILING OUT OF THE CELL.\n</b>\nThe morning drill. His roommate, an old Latino guy,\nright behind. Derek's eyes cast among the inmates,\nnoting everyone and looking for a friendly face. He\nnotes a familiar tattoo, catches the guy's eye and nods.\n\n<b>WALKING THROUGH THE CAFETERIA.\n</b>\nDerek with his tray. A sea of tables divided by race. He\nspots a tiny island of white guys at a distant table. He\nlooks at STEVIE THE LEADER, but gets a nod from the HUGE\nARYAN next to him. Derek moves to sit with them.\n\n<b>A WIDE SHOT OF THE YARD.\n</b>\nFrom a distance, he approaches the Aryan corner. They\ncasually greet each other. Derek then looks over to the\nHUGE ARYAN from the cafeteria and to STEVIE MCCORMICK,\nthe crazy looking leader. Derek walks over and shakes\ntheir hands.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON LAUNDRY ROOM - MORNING\n</b>\nDerek quietly folds towels with a young, chattering black\nman.\n\n<b> YOUNG MAN\n</b>You got lucky, man. I was in the\nkitchen for a year before making it in\nhere. Pots and motherfucking pans...\ndisgusting beef stroganoff shit...\nboiling hot water...fuck that!\n (looking over)\nMy name's Lamont, man.\n\nDerek doesn't even look at LAMONT. Stone cold, he\ncontinues folding.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>I got your back. Righteous white\nCracker with attitude. Just like the\nJudge who sentenced me, man.\n\nLamont laughs but then becomes serious.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>If your smart though you'll remember\none thing. You're the nigger in here.\nNot me.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. PRISON YARD - DAY\n</b>\nDEREK'S POV. He sees Stevie McCormick conferring with a\nMexican gang leader. The Mexican hands Stevie a joint\nthrough a handshake.\n\nDerek turns and talks to two white guys who seem\nimpressed. Stevie walks up and takes a hit off his\njoint.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>I was just talking about you. You're\nCammeron's boy?\n\nDerek turns and stares at him.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>His boy? No, I don't think so, man.\nI'm not anybody's boy.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Well...you know what I mean.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Nooo, I don't know what you mean.\n\nDerek and Stevie lock eyes. Stevie sneaks a hit and\noffers Derek.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Here, man. Relax and have a hit.\n\nDerek stares at him.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Nooo...how about you getting that\nfucking shit awax from me?\n\nStevie looks at him, ready to kill. The other two can't\nbelieve Derek's gall. Stevie shrugs.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>You got a problem, man?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Excuse me? Do I have a problem? No,\nI don't have a problem. Do you have a\nproblem?\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>No. I don't.\n\nStevie stares at Derek and walks off. He turns back\nagain and he and Derek lock eyes. He walks back to his\ngroup.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Who the fuck are you?\n\nDerek turns back to the other two and they are already\nwalking away. Derek looks at the two and back to Stevie.\nStevie sits with HUGE ARYAN and says something to him.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON LAUNDRY ROOM - EARLY MORNING\n</b>Lamont in mid-conversation.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>But I won't go down on that shit. No\nway, no how. You ever been with a\nsoul sister?\n\nDerek looks over and meets his eyes.\nLamont sees this and laughs.\n\nJust for a second.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b> Oh shit! Sorry, man! Forgot who the\n luck I was talking to there for a\n second.\n (after a beat)\n Let me ask you this one though cause I\n don't know the white man's take. You\n like eating pussy?\n\nDerek can't help but smile.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>Oh man! You sick fucking bastard!\nYou sick pig!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>And you don't!? Shut up.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>Man...you don't know shit about the\nbrothers. We won't go down on that\nshit if the bitch was holding a gun to\nour fucking head.\n\nDerek laughs and the two continue to converse.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. PRISON QUAD - DAY\n</b>\nA group of White Aryans are gathered in the yard. Derek\nplays basketball with a mixed assemblage, including\nLamont. Derek continues to look over every now and then\nat Stevie and his group. Stevie suddenly smiles towards\nDerek.\n\nNot understanding what it's all about, Derek turns\n'around. Standing there is HUGE ARYAN and his STOCKY\n FRIEND.. They proceed to beat the shit out of Derek right\n in the middle of the court. The players circle as Derek\n rolls on the ground. He gets bombarded with kicks and\n punches, a few even coming from randoms on the court.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - MORNING\n</b>\nA beat-up Derek quietly folds. Lamont stays quiet. He\nglances over but knows Derek isn't in the mood.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. CAFETERIA - AFTERNOON LUNCH\n</b>\nDerek looks over to the white table and they something\namongst themselves. They break into laughter. Derek\nthinks about eating somewhere else, but there's nowhere\nto go. He walks BACK over to the white table and looks\nat STEVIE.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>How's your face, man?\n\nEveryone laughs. Derek sits and eats, his tail between\nhis legs.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>That'll teach you. Don't be a prick\nto your superiors.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. NARROW PRISON CORRIDOR - LATE AFTERNOON\n</b>\nStevie walks by himself and smokes a cigarette. He turns\na corner and standing there waiting for him is DEREK.\nDerek stares him down.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>What do you want?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm right here, man. You wanna have\nit out with me, let's go. Just me and\nyou though.\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Man...you are a stupid motherfucker.\nYou know that? When are you--?\n\nDerek cracks him in the face and Stevie falls to the\nground.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Stupid?! You have anything else to\nsay, you little pussy! Hunh?!\n\n<b> STEVIE\n</b>Fuck you!\n\nDerek kicks the man a few more times and takes off. A\nfew black prisoners laugh at Stevie from the PING PONG\n<b>TABLE.\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON SHOWER - MORNING\n</b>\nDerek puts his head down under the warm water and closes\nhis eyes. From out of nowhere, he is slammed out of\nframe to the floor. HUGE ARYAN'and his STOCKY BUDDY from\nearlier proceed to beat him. Bathers leave and after a\nfew moments, Stevie's boys drop their TOWELS.\n\n<b> HUGE ARYAN\n</b>Well well well. A virgin.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. SHOWER - LATER\n</b>\nDerek lies on the tile floor, bloody and beaten.\n\n<b> HUGE ARYAN\n</b>You ain't so tough now, are you?\n\nThe two men smile at each other, kick him and exit.\nAfter a few seconds, LAMONT enters with the cart and\npicks up dirty towels. He spots Derek laying on the\ntile.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>Motherfucker. What now, man?\n\nHe tends to Derek. He picks him up, throws him over his\nshoulder, and carries him off.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b> Shit, holmes.\n (carrying him)\n Hang on to me, man. You're heavy.\n\n<b>INT. PRISON INFIRMARY - EVENING\n</b>\nDerek lies on a table, silent. A Mexican DOCTOR examines\nhis ass.\n\n<b> DOCTOR\n</b>Well, you do have some tearing down\nhere. Christ. Okay. I'm gonna have\nto stitch you up so I'll be back. \n\nThe doctor passes Dr. Sweeney on his way out. Derek hears\nSweeney talk to the doctor and turns his head. The two\nlook at each other for a long moment. Sweeney sits down\nnext to him and puts his hand on Derek's shoulder. Derek\nfinally breaks down and sobs.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. HOSPITAL - LATE NIGHT\n</b>\nSweeney and Derek in mid-conversation. A small lamp\nshines off their faces.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Honor and loyalty run thick, Derek.\nNot skin color. Skin is thin. I\ndon't get you, man. I don't.\n (after a beat)\nI got my Doctorate in Education...not\nin medicine. But if you think babies\ncome into this world evil...you're\nfucked up, Derek. You're way to smart\nto believe that shit.\n (then)\nThere's nothin' more beautiful Derek,\nnothin' more pure, nothin' more\ninnocent...than a baby.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They killed my father, Sweeney.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Jesus Derek. Use that brain God gave\nyou for chrissake. What are you gonna\ndo? Seek revenge your whole life and\nbecome a lifer in here. That's what\nthese guys are like, you wanna be like\nthem? Fucking little boys in prison?\nThink, man. None of your guys back\nhome give a shit about you.\n (after a beat)\nThey only care about your brother.\nThe new blood. And he sure as hell\ncan't take care of himself like you\ncould.\n\nDerek looks at the man with regret.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Get me outta here, Sweeney.\n\nSweeney looks at the young man, heavily weighing his\noptions. The two lock eyes.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. PRISON QUAD - DAY\n</b>\nDerek reads by himself on the cement stairs by himself.\nA shadow approaches from behind.\n\n<b> VOICE\n</b>How you doin', man?\n\nDerek turns his head and sees LAMONT standing there.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>All right.\n (after a beat)\nHow are you?\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>I'm fucking incarcerated, man. With a\nbunch of faggots. How you think I'm\ndoin'?\n\nDerek looks at the young man and can't help but laugh.\nDerek slowly gets up and limps past Lamont.\n\n<b> LAMONT\n</b>What are you gonna do, man?\n\nDerek looks at him for a few moments, still shaken.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'm not going to do anything.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON VISITING ROOM\n</b>\nHe looks through the window at his mother. Together they\npick up the phone.\n\nTIGHT ON DEREK. He can feel her pain more than he can\nfeel his own. He forces a smile.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nHey Mom.\n\n<b>DORIS\n</b>\nHello.\n\nThe two sit there and stare at each other for a few\nmoments.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Dr. Sweeney called me. He spoke with\na guy on the parole board here.\n (then)\nHe thinks you might be getting out\nsoon.\n\nDerek nods and stares at his mother, broken.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How are the others?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Davina's good. UCLA Math major.\n (frustrated)\nAll three of you have always been so\ngreat in school. I wonder why all\nthis--\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What about Dan, Mom? How's he?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>He's doing the same stuff you were\ndoing, Derek. Hanging out with\nCammeron, getting into trouble. It\nbrings back a lot of sad memories.\nAnd I can't do anything...he won't\nlisten to me. He needs you.\n\nDerek stares at his mother like it's the last thing he\nwanted to hear.\n<b> \n</b>\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. PRISON CHECK-OUT - DAY\n</b>\nDerek gives back his prison garb. LAMONT APPEARS.\nThrough the partition we see Derek say goodbye to Lamont:\nand walk out to his awaiting family.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE BACK TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. STREET - NIGHT - PRESENT\n</b>\nDanny tearfully stares at his brother, speechless.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (after a long beat)\nYou're my best friend, Danny. You're\nmy only friend. And I just want\nwhat's best for you.\n\nThe two rub heads as DEREK puts his arm around him.\nDanny squeezes back and Derek kisses him on the top of\nthe head.\n\n<b> CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - THE COPS\n</b>\nDanny skates up to the front gate and looks at them.\n\n<b> COP #1\n</b>How the hell...?\n\nDerek slaps the roof on the passenger side and scares the\nhell out of the officers.\n\n<b> COP #2\n</b>Son of a bitch.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Pretty shitty assignment you got.\n\n<b> COP #1\n</b>Out of respect for your father.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Oh yeah? What the hell do you know-\nabout my father?\n\nThe two men sit there speechless as Derek walks over to\nan awaiting Danny.\n\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - A SLEEPING DORIS\n</b>\nShe snores on the couch. The clock on the wall reads\neleven as the boys ENTER. Danny goes to his room whale\nDerek heads for the girls in the living room. He genzly\nshakes Davina.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Hey. Wake up.\n\nShe looks at him, delirious.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>\nWhat?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Time for bed.\n\n<b>INT. OPEN BEDROOM - DEREK'S POV\n</b>\nDan types at the computer as Derek escorts Davina and\nDoris to bed.\n\n<b>INT. DAVINA BEDROOM - SAME\n</b>\nDavina plops herself down and falls asleep instantly.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Goodnight.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Goodnight, Mom.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - LATE NIGHT\n</b>\nDerek stares at himself in the mirror. A million\nthoughts race through his head as computer keys echo in\nthe b.g. He looks at all of his tattoos and SCARS.\n\nTIGHT ON HIS UPPER BODY. He stares at the SWASTIKA on\nhis tit. He puts his hand over the tattoo to see what\nhe looks like without it. He turns on the shower and\ngets inside.\n\n<b>129 INT. SHOWER - TIGHT ON DEREE\n</b>\nAs he soaps himself down, the soap slips out of his hand\nand sits on.the bottom of the tub. He looks at it a long\ntime before he bends over to pick it up. He immerses his\nface into the shower faucet and thinks to himself.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - TIGHT ON DANNY\n</b>\nHe sits back down at the computer and looks back at his\nbrother as he dries off. Danny thinks to himself and\ntypes a sentence.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>There was only one person who loved\nDerek more than me.\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. VINYARD HOUSEHOLD - MORNING - FLASHBACK\n</b>\nThe place is immaculate. DENNIS VINYARD, the father of\nthe household, eats his breakfast in his LA COUNTY\nFIREFIGHTER UNIFORM. Vintage fireman material:\nmuscular, receding hairline, zero facial hair. Handsome.\nA pretty and well-dressed Doris SINGS while she scrambles\neight eggs with mushrooms and peppers.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>That was Dad. They were best friendS.\nFathers and sons are never best\nfriends...but they were..\n\nYOUNGER DANNY stares at his larger-than-life father with\na cap turned backwards. Doris breaks from song and yells\nto the back.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Breakfast!\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Okay! Let's go, Davina! Derek!\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>So what's this all about, Dennis?\n\nDennis doesn't hear because his attention is on Danny.\nYOUNGER DEREK, donning a flat-top haircut and no tattoos,\nwalks into the kitchen. The smiling athlete has his\nbackpack and blue VENICE HIGH gym bag. He drops it all\nonto the ground and sits at the table.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Good morning.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Good morning.\n\nDoris sets food in front of her two sons and they both go\nto work. Young Danny eats quietly.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>What about this gang stuff?\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Jesus Doris...it's not that big of a\ndeal. All departments have to take a\nprecaution class on gang patrol today.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What for?\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>A guy was shot yesterday in\nInglewood...changin' a valve on a\nhydrant. LAPD is worried that more\nfirefighters will become targets.\nThat's what this bullshit is about.\n (sipping his coffee)\nA good father this guy was though and\nnow he's in intensive care because of\nsome goddamn--! They've pretty much\ndeclared war on LAPD and us.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Why you guys though? I can see them\nbut the fire department?\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>They think we would rather let a\nbuilding burn down over there than\nfight it. So now we got two fights\ngoin' on at one goddamn time.\n\nDennis takes a bite of his eggs and explodes.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (to the bedroom)\nDayins! Get in here!\n\n<b> DAVINA (O.S.)\n</b>I'm coming right now! Jesus!\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>I'll tell you one more thing. This\n\"affirmative blaction\" shit is driving\nme up the fucking wall. Firefighters\ngettin' 99's on their tests while\nrappers who score a goddamn 62 walk\naway with the job.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Don't we have to have \"affirmative\naction?\"\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Not when a job requires ability. No.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>A lot of people say otherwise, Danny.\nIncluding me.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>A lot of people don't know shit,\neither.\n\nDoris just stares at the back of her husband's head like\nshe wants to smack it. He turns back and disarms her\nwith a look.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>If I'm fightin' a brush fire...\nsurrounded by thousand degree\nflames...who would I want watchin' my\nback? A guy who scores a 99 or a guy\nwho scores a sixty?\n (then)\nYou don't see half the NBA with\nwhites, gooks and spics.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Nooo...what you don't see are\nminorities on the boards of Fortune\n500 companies cause whites won't stand\nfor it.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Doris! I'm tired of your damn\nargument! You sound like an idiot!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Sweeney actually had a pretty good\ntake on affirmative action the other\nday.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (smiling)\nReally? I didn't know you spoke\n\"African\", Derek? Where'd you learn\nthat shit? Johannesberg?\n\nDennis laughs and Derek eventually smiles. Danny looks\nat them, not really understanding. Doris stares down\nDennis.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Honey? Please don't speak that way.\nThey don't--\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>How am I speaking, Doris!? Hunh?!\nI'm speakin' fineP\n (quickly to Derek)\nHey. Don't let that him confuse you\nover there, Derek. Look at me. This\nshit he's pulling is a load of crap.\nHey. Look at me, Derek. I mean it.\nIf we keep givin' niggers everything,\nthere'll be nothing left for us.\n\nDerek and Danny stare at their father, not knowing how to\nreact.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You can be a stupid son of a bitch\nsometimes.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>And then we have naive fools like her.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I really hate you with a passion some\ntimes.\n\nAn upset Doris exits the room past YOUNG DAVINA. Dennis\nlooks to Derek.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>You know what I mean though, right?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>(nodding)\n\nYeah.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (to the family)\nGood morning.\n\nShe sits.\n\nHer lips glare excessively this morning.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Well...good morning, Miss Monroe!\n (smiling)\nLook at you. You look like a star.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I like that color, Davina.\n\n<b>DAVINA\n</b>Thanks\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>You did like it.\n\nDennis reaches over and wipes it off with his napkin.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b> (whining)\n Come on, Dad.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Yeah. Well you're lucky I'm letting\nyou wear that crap on your eyes. I\nlove you but you're too young.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>That sucks, man.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>It totally sucks. And we all\nsympathize with you, too.\n\nEveryone laughs but Dan, still shaken over his mother.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (Shifting to Danny)\nYou got practice today?\n\nDanny shakes his head no.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Coach's sick.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>You wanna go to Der's game with me?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>\nSure.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b> (quickly to Derek}\nSanta Monica High tonight, right?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nYep.\n\n<b> DENNIS\n</b>Perfect.\n (to Danny)\nBen'll whip us up a couple of double\ndeckers and we'll head over.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>(smiling)\n\nOkay.\n\nDennis smiles, reaches over with a fatherly hand, and\nmesses up his hair.\n\n<b>BACK QUICKLY TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - DANNY - PRESENT\n</b>\nHe stops typing and almost cries. He leans back in his\nchair and and stares himself in the side mirror. He\nfeels his bald head, almost exploring.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. BEN'S BURGER SHOP - LATE NIGHT\n</b>\nA white homeless man in an ARMY JACKET sits outside\nbegging for change. Seth and Cameron, both beat-up,\ndrunk and bloody, stare at the man.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Spare change for a cheeseburger?\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Get a job and buy one why don't you.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>God bless you.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Fuck you.\n\nSeth stumbles into the shop. Cam stares at the homeless\nman, psychotically.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Fifty cents is all I ask.\nVietnam, man.\n\nI was in\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Really? So you've had what? Thirty\nyears to get your shit together?\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>All I want is something to eat.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>There are plenty of fuckin'\ndishwashing jobs out there, Vietnam\nboy. Go get yourself one.\n\nIn the background, BEN THE OWNER and Seth shake hands.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Did I do something?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>You're a disgrace to the white race.\nIf Adolf Hitler was alive...God bless\nhis soul...he would have you shot.\n\n<b> HOMELESS MAN\n</b>Fuck you then. Now and forever. Fuck\nyou.\n\nCameron knees the weaker man square in the face. The\nman slopes down to his side, unconscious. As an\nafterthought, Cameron kicks him several more times.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Noooo. Fuck you.\n\nQUICKLY TO ACROSS THE STREET. Little Henry and two of\nhis friends watch Cammeron's brutality from their bikes.\nThey turn in the opposite direction and hurry off.\n\n<b>INT. BURGER SHOP - CAMHERON AND SETH\n</b>\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\nSeth eats a burger and chili fries at the same time.\nCameron smokes across from him and watches Seth eat like\na pig. He takes a look at the homeless man outside who\nstill lays motionless. Cam feels his BANDAGED FACE.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I think I need to go to the hospital.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Seriously?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I don't know. I think so.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Where's Stacey?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Who gives a fuck?\n\nSeth takes a bite and chews.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Derek's a fuckin' traitor pussy.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Well...we might be pussies too if we\ngot treated the way he did.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What do you mean?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Stevie McCormick called...old school\nVenice bro. He's at Chino...doin'\nlife. He hated Derek.\n (exhaling)\nSaid he was a fucking blow-up doll in\nthere.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b> (overwhelmed)\nFucking A.\n\nSeth continues to eat. Cammeron looks out the window and\nhates what he sees.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Oh Christ. You gotta be kidding me?\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>\nWhat?\n\nCAMMERON'S POV. A large, mature and sharp-looking BLACK\nMAN helps A BEAUTIFUL BLOND out of a RED BMW. THEY KISS.\nCammeron is at a loss for words. Cam puts out his\ncigarette as the couple ENTERS.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (looking at the two)\nIs there anything sacred in this\ncountry anymore? Jesus Christ. Hey.\nStop feeding your face for a second\nand look behind you.\n\nSeth turns his head and stares at the interracial couple.\nHe turns back to Cam and sings a verse from the famous\natevie Wonder song, EBONY AND IVORY. Cameron laughs.\nThe black man turns and looks at the two.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Can we help you with something? Do\nyou have any questions about the menu?\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>No questions.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I recommend either the \"Big Ben\nBurger\" or the \"Chicken Taco Special.\"\nBen'll replace the dark meat with the\nwhite meat if you ask nicely.\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b> (fed up)\nWhat's your problem, pal?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I ain't your fucking pal first of all.\nSecondly...I don't have problems.\nPeople who luck with me have problems.\n\n<b> WHITE GIRL\n</b>Come on. Let's get out of here.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Hey! What a great idea! You got a\nclever little whatever it is there.\nI'd listen to it if I were you.\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>You're not me.\n\n<b> CAMHERON\n</b> (smiling)\nAnd I thank God Almighty every day for\nthat, believe me.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Excuse me? Tyrone?\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>My name's not Tyrone either.\n\n<b>SETH\n</b>Whatever. Why can't you stick to your\nown race?\n\n<b> WHITE GIRL\n</b> (disgusted)\nJesus Christ! Where do you assholes\ncome from?!\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>What the luck difference does it make\nwhere we come from, bitch? I'm from a\nplace called America. A place that\nused to be a nice place to live before\nit became fuckin' Africa-America.\n\n<b> BLACK MAN\n</b>You ignorant mother--\n\nSeth quickly gets out of his chair and makes his gun\ntotally visible to the couple.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>You got a fuckin' death wish, asshole?\nDo you? Make your move now if you do.\nIf you don't...get the luck out of my\nsight. Cause I'm real close to\nshoving my piece up your girlfriend's\nstinky pussy.\n\nThe black man stares at the gun sticking out of Seth's\nbelly. He grabs his girlfriend and walks out of the\njoint. Seth sits back down and the two laugh. Cameron\nlooks over at Ben and raises his hands in the air.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (smiling)\nEverything's hunky dory, Ben! No\nproblemo. Only us white folk.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - A DIGITAL CLOCK\n</b>\nIt reads 2:36 a.m. Shiftless Derek lifts a sleeping\nDanny off the computer keyboard. He helps him into the\nbottom bunk, tucks him in, and watches him snooze.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (softly)\nDid you \"save\" it?\n\nAn asleep Danny nods. Derek slowly walks back into the\nbathroom to grab his towel off the floor. He looks at\nhis SWASTIKA TAT in the mirror and sighs to himself. He\nturns off the light and exits.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BURGER JOINT - SETH AND CAMMERON\n</b>\nSeth finishes his display of gluttony.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>It wouldn't irritate me so much if the\nratio was a little more even.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>What's that?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b> (going mad)\nEbony and Ivory back there! Almost\nall of those orange kid relationships\nare black man and white women and I'm\nfucking sick of seein' it! I wouldn't\nmind so much if it were more even.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Huge dicks, Cam. That's all it is.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>I used to think that too but...it's\ngotta be more, man. It has to be more\nthan the fact they they carry a big\nload. Chicks aren't that shallow, are\nthey? It's politically correct...\nthat's what it is. White\nwomen...bein' seen with the\ncoloreds...it's great for their image.\nBitches today want to be known as\nbein' fuckin' color blind.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>They get off on it.\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>And you can't really blame Tyrone.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>Why the fuck not?\n\n<b> CAMMERON\n</b>Well...how'd you like to drag around\nsome fat fly girl? I wouldn't.\n\n<b> SETH\n</b>No shit.\n (imitating)\nOh go girlfriend! Don't be puttin' up\nwid dat, girl! Oh stop girl!\n\nSeth and Cammeron laugh and head outside--leaving a mess\non the table.\n\n<b>EXT. ACROSS THE STREET - THE CHEROKEE FROM EARLIER\n</b>\nThe white vehicle gets passed by cars left and right.\n\n<b>INT. CHEROKEE - HENRY'S POV\n</b>\nHenry sits up front with JEROME, nervous and scared. The\nthree thugs in back lock and load.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> You gonna waste 'em?\n\n<b> JEROME\n</b> Only if we have to.\n\nJerome grabs a baseball bat and they quietly get out.\n\n<b>INT. VAN - TIGHT ON LITTLE HENRY\n</b>\nMe bites his nails and watches the foursome sneak up on\nan oblivious Seth and Cammeron.\n\n<b>EXT. GRAVEL PARKING LOT - HENRY'S POV\n</b>\nThe men close in. Seth and Cam are blind to it. Jerome\nraises the bat as they close in and we--\n\n<b>FADE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - EARLY MORNING - BIRDS CHIRPING\n</b>\nDanny stares at himself in the mirror and tries to find\nsome stubble on his chin.\n\n<b>INT. BEDROOM - A SLICK DEREK\n</b>\nHe stares into the mirror in a coat and pants. Danny\nrushes to get his things together.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I'm printing it up and we're out of\nhere.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Hurry up.\n\nDerek walks out into the living room.\n\n<b>INT. MESSY LIVING ROOM - DORIS\n</b>\nShe's on the couch watching cartoons. She takes a jar of\nVick's Vapor Rub and puts some on her chest. Derek walks\nin the room, bends over and kisses her on the forehead.\nDavina sits on the couch and writes. Derek just smiles.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>Wow. What happened?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I gotta see my parole officer.\n\n<b> DAVINA\n</b>Hey Der? Do you have Excel on disk?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I've got everything on disk.\n\nDavina smiles and walks into the back bedroom. Doris\nlooks at Derek.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You look good.\n\nDerek smiles and caresses his mother's cheek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>We're getting out of here soon. Is\nthat okay with you?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I'd love it.\n (after a beat)\nDo you think I should color my hair?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nYes.\n\nHe sits beside his mother and enjoys the moment. He\nthinks to himself.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>I'm glad you made it back. I wasn't\ntoo sure I was going to see you again.\nYou know how I get.\n\nFilled with regret, he nods.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>You think you'll be able to forgive\nme? Someday maybe?\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>You're my son. Of course I will.\n\nDerek smiles and can't believe his tearful reaction.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Look at me. I'm such a pussy.\n\n<b> DORIS\n</b>No you're not.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE BLVD. - A NEWSPAPER MACHINE\n</b>\nDerek plunks a quarter down the slot and removes a copy\nof the LA TIMES. Danny continues to skate ahead of him.\nSensing danger, Derek looks back behind him. With no one\nin sight, he walks into a doughnut shop.\n\n<b>INT. DOUGHNUT SHOP - DEREK'S POV\n</b>\nHe takes a guarded look outside. Everything seems\nnormal. A bus drives by. A group of Mexican laborers,\ndressed for work and smiling, walk past in the other\ndirection.\n\nInside, a black woman orders a dozen doughnuts from a\nshort Korean.man behind the counter. Her young daughter\ngrabs her leg. Danny sits down and reads Derek's paper.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What do you want?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Maple bar and a...large milk.\n\nDerek smiles at the little girl while he waits. She\nwanders from her mother's leg and over towards Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b> (to the girl)\nYou look pretty.\n\nShe laughs.\n\n<b> TISHA\n</b>Thank you.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How do I look?\n\n<b> BLACK GIRL\n</b>(bashfully)\nFine.\n\nDANNY'S POV. He looks up from the paper. He watches the\ngirl together with his brother.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What's your name?\n\n<b>BLACK GIRL\n</b>\nTisha.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How old are you, Tisha?\n\nShe holds up four fingers. Derek smiles.\n\n<b> BLACK MOTHER\n</b> (staring at Derek)\nCome here, Tisha.\n\nTisha returns to her mother and they quickly exit. Derek\nwatches the girl as she continues to stare at him as they\nmake their way down the street.\n\nOutside, a BLUE FORD screeches out front. Rasmussen and\nthe Young Mark Fuhrman type from earlier get out and\nwait. Dr. Sweeney meets the duo and together they walk\ninside.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>What's goin' on?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>We need to talk, Derek.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How'd you find out I was here?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>We were just at your apartment.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>Cammeron and Seth are in the ICU at\nSt. Johns, Derek. They were jumped in\nfront of Ben's Burgets early this\nmorning.\n\nDerek thinks to himself for a few more seconds.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How bad?\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>They'll live.\n (then)\nThey must have been looking for\nsomebody else.\n\nDerek stares at Rasmussen and walks away.\nSweeney, who knows to walk over to him.\n\nHe eyes\n\nTIGHT ON SWEENEY AND DEREK. The two lock eyes.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Are they coming after you?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Fuckin' A.\n\nSweeney sighs.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>I don't know.\n (after a long beat)\nYou might have to talk to your old\ncrew though.\n\nDerek looks over and analyzes the innocence of his\nbrother.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I can't, Sweeney.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Try, Derek. Okay?\n\nDerek senses the danger in his voice.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Okay? Before it explodes.\n\nSweeney walks away and then turns back to Derek.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>And watch your back.\n\nDerek nods.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>(back to Danny)\nYou showing up today?\n\nDanny looks at Sweeney and nods his head yes.\n\n<b>SWEENEY\n</b>\nGood.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>EXT. VENICE HIGH - DEREK AND DANNY\n</b>\nThey are outside the fence surrounding the field.\nStudents head off to morning class.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Hey. Keep your head up, alright? I'm \ngoing to take care of this.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>How?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I don't know. I'll figure it out\nthough. You gonna be okay?\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>Yeah.\n\nThe two stare at each other as THE BELL RINGS.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>I gotta turn that paper in.\n\nDanny hops the fence with his backpack on. He looks back\nat Derek. Cops #1 and #2 sit in their car in the b.g.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>Hey.\n\n<b>DANNY\n</b>What?\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>Come here.\n\nDerek puts his hand over the fence. Danny walks up and\nclasps it -- FINGERS INTERTWINED. Derek wants to say one\nthing but something else comes out.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>I'll see you at home.\n\nDanny smiles at his brother and nods. Danny puts his ear\nphones on and heads to class. Derek watches his brother\nthrough the chain-link fence. Danny meets up with Lizzy\nand they soon disappear from Derek's sight. Derek turns\nand walks down the street.\n\n<b> COP #1\n</b>You need a lift anywhere?\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>Nope.\n\nDerek stops in his tracks, walks back over to the fence,\nand stares at the school.\n\n<b>INT. MESSY HALLWAY - DANNY AND LIZZY\n</b>\nStudents rush past them. Danny kisses Lizzy and she\nhurries off to class. He pushes on the men's room door.\n\n<b>INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - SAME\n</b>\nDanny enters, sets his \"AMERICAN HISTORY X\" PAPER on top\nof the sink, and takes an unearthly long piss at the\nurinal. He finishes, flushes and turns.\n\nStanding there is LITTLE HENRY. A GUN IN HIS HAND.\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Jesus Christ. What are you doing,\nHenry?\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> (afraid)\nWhat does it look like I'm doin'?\n\n<b> DANNY\n</b>Come on, man, no. You don't want to\ndo this. Come on. Henry?\n\nTHE DOOR SMACKS OPEN and Danny moves to grab the pistol.\nIt discharges and a bullet rockets into Danny's chest.\nHe SLAMS back into the URINAL and gasps for air. The\nforce of the pistol knocks Henry to the ground. The two\nkids who just entered bolt for help.\n\nDanny slides to the tile, leaving a bloody trail. The\ntwo stare at each other - EYE TO EYE. THE BLOODSTAINED\nPAPER falls into the DAMP SINK. Danny inhales like glass\nis raking his lungs.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> (terrified)\nDanny?\n\nDanny's breathing slows to a choked whisper. He blinks,\ncoughs, twitches. And dies.\n\n<b> LITTLE HENRY\n</b> Vinyard? Danny?\n\nHenry watches teary-eyed with the same altered look Derek\nhad after killing Lawrence. Together they FREEZE on the\ncold tile floor.\n\n<b>CUT TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. HALL AT VENICE HIGH BATHROOM - YELLOW POLICE TAPE\n</b>\nOfficers and detectives monitor the area. Young\nstudents, including Lizzy and her friends, stand around\nand cry. Rasmussen brings THE BLOODY PAPER over to\nSweeney. Sweeney looks at it for a moment but is\ninterrupted.\n\n<b> RASMUSSEN\n</b>He won't let go. Will you talk to\nhim?\n\n<b>INT. BATHROOM - TIGHT ON DEREK AND DANNY\n</b>\nDerek cradles his bloody brother. Sweeney walks over,\ncrouches, and talks to Derek's back.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Derek? You gotta let him go, man.\nThey gotta get him outta here.\n\n<b>DEREK\n</b>\nI can't.\n\nDerek begins to cry outright. He can't control himself.\nHe lets go of Danny's corpse and charges out into the\nhall.\n\n<b>INT. HALLWAY - DORIS AND DAVINA\n</b>\nDerek embraces them. Doris grabs his face -- torn\nbetween love and hate. Guilt-ridden, Derek tears from\nthem and storms down the hall with Sweeney soon in tow.\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Derek! I know what you're thinkin'\nright now and I want you to forget\nabout it!\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>How the luck do you know what I'm\nthinkin', Sweeney!?\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>Cause I'm thinkin' the same damn\nthing!\n\nDrowning in rage, Derek turns back to a misty eyed\nSweeney.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>They shot him in a fucking...pisshole!\n\n<b> SWEENEY\n</b>And goin' after them won't bring him\nback. Don't do it, Derek. Please,\nman. You've come too far. The war is\nover.\n\nDerek contemplates the situation and presses his tongue\nagainst his teeth, crackbrained. Sweeney slowly\napproaches and cautiously wraps his arms around the young\nman. Derek buries his tearing face in Sweeney's\nshoulder.\n\n<b> DEREK\n</b>It stops now, Sweeney.\n\nSweeney nods and the two lock eyes. Derek makes his way\nback to Doris and Davina and together, they grieve.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>We've heard it a million times, a\nBible quote become cliche: \"Vengeance\nis mine, sayeth the Lord.\"\n\n<b>DISSOLVE TO:\n</b>\n<b>INT. SCHOOL BATHROOM - DANNY AND HENRY\n</b>\nA still of the two immediately after the murder. We move\nin tighter and tighter until we get close on Danny.\n\n<b> DANNY (V/O)\n</b>Vengeance brought about by hate...and\nfear. When it points its head in our\ndirection, we take notice and\neverything changes. The way we choose\nour friends, the way we protect our\nfamilies, the way we create enemies\nout of strangers.\n (then)\nWelcome to America.\n\nTIGHT ON DANNY'S EYES. They are gently pushed shut by\nHenry's two small BLACK FINGERS.\n\n<b>THE END\n</b>\n\n</NOSCRIPT></TITLE><SCRIPT LANGUAGE=\"JavaScript\">\n<!--Ad Banner\nfunction popupPage() {\n var windowopts = \"location=no,scrollbars=no,menubars=no,toolbars=no,resizable=yes,left= 50,top=50,width=490,height=130\";\n\n popup15796 = open('/prohost/banner.html',\"MenuPopup\",windowopts);\n popup15796.focus();\n<b>}\n</b>\npopupPage();\n\n// Ad Banner-->\n</script>\n\n</pre><br>\n<table width=\"85%\" border=\"0\" align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"body\" style=\"BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid;\">\n <tr> \n\t<td align=center>\n\t<td><h1>American History X</h1><br><br>\n\t <b>Writers</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/writer.php?w=David McKenna\" title=\"Scripts by David McKenna\">David McKenna</a><br>\n \t<b>Genres</b> : &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Crime\" title=\"Crime Scripts\">Crime</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Drama\" title=\"Drama Scripts\">Drama</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"/genre/Thriller\" title=\"Thriller Scripts\">Thriller</a><br><br><br>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a href=\"/Movie Scripts/American History X Script.html#comments\" title=\"American History X comments\">User Comments</a>\n\t</td>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database\"><img src=\"/images/lilbutton.gif\" style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" alt=\"Internet Movie Script Database\" border=1><br>\nBack to IMSDb</a>\n</div><br>\n<br><br>\n </tr>\n</table>\n<br><br>\n</table>\n\n<table width=\"99%\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" class=\"body\">\n <tr> \n <td background=\"/images/reel.gif\" height=\"13\" colspan=\"2\">\n</table>\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n <a href=\"https://www.imsdb.com\" title=\"Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)\">Index</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/submit\" title=\"Submit scripts\">Submit</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/links\" title=\"Other sites\">Links</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/link to us\" title=\"Link to IMSDb\">Link to us</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/feeds\" title=\"IMSDb RSS Feeds\">RSS Feeds</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/disclaimer\">Disclaimer</a> \n &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n <a href=\"/privacy\">Privacy policy</a> \n</div>\n\n<br />\n\n</body>\n</html>" }
{ "text": "What does Danny decide to do a report on to anger Mr. Murray?", "tokens": [ "What", "does", "Danny", "decide", "to", "do", "a", "report", "on", "to", "anger", "Mr.", "Murray", "?" ] }
[ { "text": "Mein Kampf", "tokens": [ "Mein", "Kampf" ] }, { "text": "The struggle for Human rights", "tokens": [ "The", "struggle", "for", "Human", "rights" ] } ]